


The Lost Prince

by Shadowblade217



Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: AU, Teenage Vegeta in Dragon Ball, Vegeta goes to Earth with Goku as a kid, Vegeta grows up with Goku, Vegeta is Roshi's student
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowblade217/pseuds/Shadowblade217
Summary: In an alternate timeline where King Vegeta heeds Bardock's warning about Frieza, a five-year-old Prince Vegeta is sent to Planet Earth along with the infant Saiyan Kakarot. Growing up on Earth with Goku and his friends, Vegeta is changed in ways he never could have imagined, and must ultimately choose his own destiny.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Master Roshi & Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Son Goku & Vegeta (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Refugees

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 1: Refugees**

_Planet Vegeta_

_Age 737_

King Vegeta, ruler of the Saiyan race, sat upon his throne, glaring at the elite warrior who had just burst into the throne room. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" he demanded.

The soldier, a man he recognized, dropped to one knee and saluted his king. "Bardock has gone absolutely mad, sire!" he exclaimed. "He's been telling everyone that Frieza is coming to destroy our planet!"

King Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. "What? That's ridiculous. The Saiyans make up almost half of Frieza's military forces; there's no way he would try to destroy us!"

"That's what I said, sir, but Bardock wouldn't listen! He kept ranting about how his entire team was slaughtered: supposedly, Dodoria killed them on Frieza's orders! It's absurd!"

For the first time, King Vegeta actually focused on the soldier's words. "His team _is_ dead, though?"

The lower-class warrior looked up at him. "I don't know, sir. But he did return alone; that much is true."

The Saiyan king contemplated what he'd heard. Ordinarily, he would have dismissed the soldier's report immediately… but something stopped him from doing so. There was no denying that Frieza could easily wipe out the Saiyans if he wanted to, but Vegeta had never suspected that the Arcosian would actually attack them.

But if he _was_ coming… it would be foolish to take chances.

"Clear the room!" the king called. "Everyone except my guards, out!"

Grumbling, the Saiyan politicians and members of Vegeta's retinue exited the room. As they did so, King Vegeta turned, his mind made up, to face the soldier. "Find Bardock, and bring him here. If he's telling the truth, I intend to find out."

* * *

After a few minutes, the same warrior returned, escorting a tall Saiyan in green armor, with red wristbands and a red bandanna around his forehead. His spiky hair stood up around his head, defying gravity, and a large scar was visible on his left cheek. His armor was torn and bloodstained in several places, but he remained strong and on his feet.

"Bardock," King Vegeta greeted the younger Saiyan. "What is this I've been told about you claiming that Frieza intends to attack us?"

Bardock bowed briefly before Vegeta, but it was immediately apparent that he had no time for pleasantries. "Sir, we have to hurry. Frieza can't have been very far behind me, and when he gets here, he intends to destroy us all. He sent Dodoria to attack my team while they were out on a mission, and they were all wiped out! I managed to survive, but Dodoria nearly killed me too."

The Saiyan king raised a hand, halting Bardock. "I've always known you to be a proud and brave warrior, Bardock. But you must admit, this theory of yours sounds ridiculous. Why would Frieza try to destroy the Saiyans? We make up a significant portion of his army, and our troops are more powerful than most of his other soldiers."

"Exactly," Bardock retorted emphatically. "And as a result of that, he's afraid of us! He's worried that we'll rebel against him, and his solution is to carry out a preemptive strike and wipe us all out so we'll never have the chance." He took a step closer to Vegeta, causing the guards to glare at him, and held his hands out, arguing his case. "You have to see that! We have to raise an army, before it's too…"

"King Vegeta!" a voice shouted, as another Saiyan soldier entered the room. "We've detected Lord Frieza's ship on our sensors, rapidly approaching the planet!"

Bardock, who had whirled to face the soldier, froze in horror. _Damn it… I'm too late!_

Rising to his feet, King Vegeta glared at the soldier. "Gather as many fighters as you can find, and get them ready for battle!" As the soldier ran from the room, he turned to Bardock. "Seems you were right after all, Bardock. Come with me."

As the Saiyan king strode out of the room, his red cape swirling behind him, Bardock quickly followed. "Where are we going?" he asked.

King Vegeta turned back to face Bardock. "My son is somewhere in Frieza's empire, and if our rebellion succeeds, Frieza will happily use him against me as a hostage. I need you to help me get him to safety before that can happen."

* * *

As alarms began to blare throughout the capital city of Planet Vegeta, the two Saiyan warriors made their way to the spaceport.

"His ship's getting closer," Bardock warned.

King Vegeta nodded. "Indeed. All right, here's the plan: I'll signal my son from down here, so he can make his escape, and then we'll go after Frieza."

"But where can he go?" Bardock asked in surprise. "If we can't stop Frieza, this planet will be a cloud of rubble floating in space within an hour. Nowhere on this entire world is safe: he can't come back here."

"That's why I'm not planning on calling him back here," Vegeta replied tersely. "There are plenty of Attack Pods on the military base where he's stationed, all of them programmed by Saiyans. All my son needs to do is get into one and get the hell out of there."

"Again… to _where?_ Nowhere in the whole Empire will be safe for him: he looks just like you!"

King Vegeta paused, thinking that over. _He's right… there's no way my son could pass inconspicuously on a planet within the Planet Trade Organization. But where else could I send him?_

As a matter of fact, it was Bardock who came up with the perfect solution. "I've got it!" He snapped his fingers in realization. "My son, Kakarot; they shipped him out today, to a Class Five world outside the empire. What if we sent your son with him? He'd be out of the way, and he'd probably be better off with another Saiyan around to help him."

At first, Vegeta was irritated by the suggestion. _My son, needing another Saiyan to_ help _him?! The notion itself is completely laughable!_ He paused for a long moment, mulling it over in his mind. _Still… he has a point. At least this way he wouldn't be left completely alone for heaven knows how long._

"Very well," he answered. "I'll make the preparations. Find the coordinates of the planet your son was sent to, so we can relay them to my son's scouter."

Bardock nodded. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

By the time Bardock had identified the coordinates of Kakarot's destination, Frieza's ship had entered the upper atmosphere of Planet Vegeta, where it had come to a halt. The two Saiyans met up at the spaceport, where alarms continued to blare. At least a hundred elite Saiyan warriors, who had hastily been gathered to Vegeta's summons, lined up before them. Bardock, his injuries bandaged and treated as thoroughly as possible, stood beside King Vegeta.

"All right, men," Vegeta called out. "As some of you may know, Frieza is currently in orbit around our planet! What you most likely don't know is that he intends to destroy us all, and burn our world! But I have no intention of letting him do so!"

The soldiers roared in affirmation.

"Our time has come!" King Vegeta continued. "Today is the day when we will rise up and take back everything Frieza has stolen from us! Today, we strike down the tyrant and recover our planet, our land, and our pride!"

As deafening cheers rang out around him, the Saiyan king smiled. _Good, they're behind us now. Now we just have to win this battle._

He exchanged a glance with Bardock, feeling a tinge of foreboding. _If we can, that is._

"Now!" Vegeta ordered. "To arms!"

The Saiyans roared in response, their auras flaring up around them, burning the air with their potency. A hundred of his race's finest warriors, ready for battle.

Privately, King Vegeta hoped it would be enough.

* * *

_Frieza Planet 247_

A young Saiyan, five years old, gazed out through the viewports of his room, to the bustling activity outside. He leaned on the windowsill, his lips curved in a frown as he rested his forehead against the viewport, before he scowled and pulled away.

Vegeta IV, prince of the Saiyan race, sat down on his bed and let out a sigh. He hadn't seen his homeworld in quite some time, and he longed to see his father again.

Abruptly, his scouter beeped, indicating an incoming transmission. Picking it up and latching it into place on his head, Vegeta tapped a button to answer the call.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

" _Vegeta? My son?"_ a familiar voice called. _"Is that you?"_

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Father? What is this? Why are you contacting me?"

" _Vegeta, listen to me very carefully. You need to get off of that planet immediately. Do you understand?"_

Utterly confused, Vegeta frowned, listening more closely. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "What is this?"

King Vegeta sighed. _"My son… Frieza has come to Planet Vegeta. I fear that he intends to destroy it, and the Saiyan race as well. And none of us have the power to stop him."_

Vegeta's face twisted in horror. "W…What? Destroy… the planet? The entire Saiyan race?!"

" _Yes._ " King Vegeta paused. _"But hope is not lost, my son. We have developed a strategy that will ensure our race's survival, and it depends on you."_

Vegeta was puzzled for a moment. "On me?"

" _Indeed. I'm sending you a series of coordinates to a Class Five planet, outside the empire. A Saiyan child named Kakarot, the son of a warrior named Bardock, was sent there today. I want you to take an Attack Pod and go to those coordinates. You'll be safe there."_

Vegeta glared incredulously at the scouter lens. "You want me to _run and hide?!_ "

" _Listen to me!"_ King Vegeta snapped, silencing his son. He continued, his tone much more somber. _"If we cannot defeat Frieza, the Saiyan race will be all but wiped from existence today. You will be one of our race's last survivors, and, if I am gone, you must be the new leader of our race. You are the prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, and to uphold that, you must live. Now, get off of that planet and set a course for those coordinates_ immediately! _"_

Vegeta considered his options, but it didn't take him long to reach his decision. He'd never liked working for Frieza anyway. "Very well, Father. Send me the coordinates."

" _I'm sending them now. Good luck to you."_ King Vegeta paused briefly, then continued, _"If we never meet again, remember me… my son."_

Vegeta nodded. "I will, Father."

There was a beep, and the connection went dead. A moment later, Vegeta's scouter beeped again as it received the data transmission; the coordinates for this planet that his father had mentioned. The young prince couldn't make heads or tails of the information, but he knew that he could easily upload it into the computer of an Attack Pod.

His mind made up, Vegeta nodded to himself and began pulling his clothes out of the drawers in his closet. _I don't like it… but if Father's right, I have very little choice. Besides, if Frieza wins and kills my entire race, it's only a matter of time until he decides to kill me_ too. He sighed. _Like I said: no choice._

Donning his armor and packing his meager possessions into a large backpack, Vegeta took one last look back at his empty room, and then exited, closing the door quietly behind him. As he'd expected, there were two guards outside his quarters, ostensibly there to protect him, but actually there on Frieza's orders to keep tabs on his location.

Fortunately, neither of them were nearly as powerful as he was.

A swift jump-kick knocked one of the guards unconscious, and Vegeta fired a thin but powerful energy beam from two fingers, burning a hole through the chest of the other guard as he whirled in shock. Hopping over the bodies, the prince darted off down the corridor, moving at super-speed to conceal his movement from the base's security cameras.

* * *

_Planet Vegeta_

With a flare of blue light, Bardock, King Vegeta, and the rest of the Saiyan warriors blasted off the ground and rose up into the upper atmosphere of their planet, heading straight for the ominous form of Frieza's ship.

"Did you get the message to your son?" Bardock called over the rushing winds around them.

"Yes," King Vegeta replied, his eyes narrowing. "He'll follow the instructions, and he should be safe with your son. Frieza would never find them on that planet."

"That's the whole point, isn't it?"

"Obviously."

Bardock's eyes narrowed as waves of Frieza's soldiers began to emerge from the ship, flying straight towards the Saiyans. "Here they come!" he yelled.

"Fire!" Vegeta roared.

The Saiyans howled in bloodlust and opened fire, sending a massive barrage of ki blasts upwards, carving into the mass of alien soldiers.

Vegeta laughed, as his forces charged headlong into the swarm of Frieza's men. "Show them no mercy!" he snarled. "Crush them like the insects they are!"

Most of the Saiyans were considerably stronger than Frieza's soldiers, which gave them an initial advantage, but more of Frieza's fighters were still rushing to join the battle. They were met, however, by King Vegeta and Bardock. Firing a furious, machine-gun-like volley of energy beams from both hands, the two Saiyan warriors blasted straight through the second wave of enemies, sending dozens of bodies tumbling helplessly away.

Finally, the pair came to a halt, facing Frieza's ship, as the waves of other fighters clashed below them. One of Frieza's men took a potshot at King Vegeta, but his blast was easily deflected and the Saiyan king countered with a ki blast of his own that blew the alien soldier out of the sky.

Bardock had barely even noticed, focused solely on the ship. "FRIEZA!" he roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "COME OUT AND FACE US YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!"

After a long moment of silence, the scarred Saiyan's request was granted, as Frieza himself rose slowly out of the ship's open upper hatch, seated within his personal hovercar. His two henchmen, Dodoria and Zarbon, flanked him.

"Well, well, well," Frieza called out mockingly, his red eyes flicking over Bardock and King Vegeta. "This is certainly a surprise. The king of all Saiyans, leading a rebellion against me? How unusually… _stupid_ of you, particularly when I came here in peace."

"Nice try, Frieza," King Vegeta shot back with a humorless grin. "But I already know what you were planning to do here. Destroy _my_ planet, would you?" He laughed. "I don't think so!"

Frieza's eyes widened a little, briefly taken off-guard by the revelation that the Saiyans had been expecting him, before he shrugged it off and forced a smirk. "Oh, I see! So you know, then. And do you two intend to stop me?"

Bardock grinned predatorily. "Actually… yeah. We do." His right hand lit up, glowing bright blue as he poured all of his energy into the growing attack.

As Bardock's attack continued to charge, he looked over to King Vegeta. "Vegeta, are you ready? Let's end this, once and for all!"

Vegeta smirked. "Absolutely." His own left hand also ignited with blue energy, swirling in his palm as he raised his arm. Bardock did the same with his right arm, the two Saiyans holding their arms parallel to each other so that the energy blasts building in their hands almost touched.

"This is for all of the people we killed in your name, Frieza!" Bardock yelled.

"And for everything you've taken from our race!" King Vegeta added.

" _Here! HAVE IT!_ " With this joint yell, they drew back their hands – Bardock's right, Vegeta's left – and shoved them forward, launching the combined attack as an intense blue beam of ki, twice as large as it would have been from either one of them.

Frieza's reaction was not what they had expected. Instead of showing fear, his smirk widened, and he started _laughing_. His voice began as a low chuckle, but quickly increased in volume and tone, to an audible laugh and finally a maniacal cackle.

As he laughed, the tyrant lifted his right hand, curling his fingers into a fist and holding up his right index finger. A tiny reddish-gold energy sphere formed at the tip of his finger, and began to increase in size at a shocking speed as he held it up above his head. Within a matter of seconds, it was massive, at least a hundred meters across.

Frieza smirked, and flicked his index finger forward, launching the Death Ball directly towards the two Saiyans, the battling armies, and the planet itself.

Bardock's eyes widened in horror, as did King Vegeta's. When their combined blast collided with the Death Ball, rather than overpowering it or even slowing it down, their attack was simply absorbed into the much larger energy sphere.

"No!" King Vegeta roared, glaring wildly at Frieza in disbelief, but there was nothing anyone could do about it. It was too late.

As Frieza laughed in triumph, the Death Ball engulfed Bardock and King Vegeta, not even slowing down, before crashing into the battling armies below and plowing through their ranks. Hundreds of soldiers were incinerated instantly, both Saiyans and Frieza's soldiers alike.

As Bardock's armor shattered, an image suddenly appeared in his mind's eye: another of the psychic visions that had prompted him to incite this short-lived rebellion against Frieza.

_A young man… no, two of them… stood side by side, facing Frieza on an unknown, alien world. One was taller, with spiky, tousled hair; the spitting image of Bardock, minus the scar on his face._

_The other was shorter, with spiky black hair that stood up from his head in an almost flame-like pattern; except for his lack of facial hair, he was very similar in appearance to King Vegeta._

_Both Saiyans were in fighting stances, and their dark eyes were firm with resolve. Despite Frieza's power, they seemed totally unafraid of their monstrous opponent._

"Kakarot?" _Bardock murmured._ "And… is that Prince Vegeta?" _Yes, it must be! These two will succeed where their fathers failed. They'll finish what we started here._

Even through the pain, he smiled. _They will face Frieza. And they will defeat him._

Simultaneously, the same thought flashed through the minds of both Bardock and King Vegeta. For Bardock, the words were filled with pride; for Vegeta, they were laden with regret at his failure.

_Farewell… my son._

And, with a blinding flash of light, the intense heat and pressure of the Death Ball obliterated both proud Saiyan warriors, leaving nothing but dust, a moment before the energy sphere crashed into the surface of Planet Vegeta.

* * *

_Frieza Planet 247_

As Vegeta sprinted down the hallway, alarms began to blare over the loudspeakers of the base.

The young prince cursed under his breath, knowing that the bodies of his guards had been found. Putting on an additional burst of speed, he ducked around a corner and ran flat-out for the launch pad, where the Attack Pods were located.

There were half a dozen soldiers gathered at the launch pad when the alarms went off. All of them immediately went on alert, preparing for whatever might come next.

They were not there for long.

A blue-and-white blur shot out of the base and collided with the group, moving incredibly fast. In the first five seconds, two of the soldiers crumpled to the ground, unconscious or dead.

An energy blast took another man off his feet, and Vegeta slammed into a fourth, a double-footed kick sending his opponent flying. Two quick energy beams, one from each hand, struck the fifth soldier simultaneously, blasting him backwards over the edge of the platform.

The final soldier lunged, hissing, but Vegeta caught his punch and spun, slamming him face-first into the deck and finishing the job with a solid kick to his head.

The young Saiyan nodded in satisfaction, observing the fallen bodies of the soldiers, and hurried over to his Attack Pod. More soldiers would be coming soon, and while he was fairly sure he could beat another group like this one, he couldn't take on the base's entire security force. He needed to get off this planet immediately.

As Vegeta opened the hatch of his Attack Pod, he felt a chill run up his spine. Lifting his head, the young Saiyan glanced around, trying to determine the source, but nothing presented itself.

Shaking his head, the five-year-old climbed into the Attack Pod and sealed the door behind him. Entering the coordinates from his scouter into the pod's computer, he strapped himself in and pressed the button to activate the engines.

 _All right, Kakarot, or whatever your name is,_ Vegeta thought. _I'm on my way._

With a roar, the Attack Pod blasted off from the launch pad and vanished into the sky, breaking through the atmosphere into space.

* * *

_On the same day, in Age 737, on a nondescript planet known as Earth, two important events came to pass. A pair of small vessels entered the atmosphere, each carrying a young child._

_The first child, just a baby, who had been named Kakarot by his parents, landed in a forest, on the slopes of Mount Paozu. He was taken in by Son Gohan, an elderly martial artist who raised the boy as his own son, and renamed him Son Goku._

_The second child – Vegeta, the five-year-old prince of the Saiyans – was not on the same approach vector, and so landed in a very different part of the world, hundreds of miles to the south._

_Fate seems to have an interesting way of working itself out, though, because this particular landing site would eventually turn out to be highly advantageous for both boys… even if it didn't have the most auspicious of beginnings._

* * *

_Kame House_

_Planet Earth_

Master Muten Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, sat on the porch of Kame House, napping in the warm sun. Wearing his ubiquitous red-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt, white baggy pants, and red-rimmed sunglasses, the old martial artist sighed deeply as he inhaled the salty sea air, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight, the cool breeze, and the gentle sound of the ocean.

A sound which was suddenly interrupted by a deafening roar and a shockwave that shook the entire house.

 _What the hell?!_ Roshi's eyes popped wide open and he shot bolt upright, just in time to see a large object skip repeatedly off of the ocean's surface and slam into the beach in a cloud of sand, dust, smoke, and steam.

Jumping to his feet, Roshi hurried down off of the porch and jogged across the beach to where the object had come to rest. As he drew closer, he could tell that a large crater, about ten meters across and two meters deep, had been blasted into the beach. And resting at the bottom of the crater was a large object.

Roshi's eyes widened when he got a better look at the "object." It was obviously artificial, as it was spherical and made from some kind of metal. An odd triangular insignia was emblazoned on one side, and the metal surface was clearly still red-hot.

 _Part of a plane, maybe?_ Roshi mused, rubbing his chin. _Or maybe..._ His train of thought was cut off abruptly as, with a click and a hiss of compressed air, the sphere opened, a large section lifting up to expose its interior.

Slowly, a small figure, no more than three or four feet tall, emerged from the sphere, staggering and falling to its hands and knees in the sand. As it crawled up out of the crater, Roshi could see that it was actually a child: a young boy, no more than five or six years old, by the look of him. His hair was jet-black and was spiked up in a pattern similar to a flame. His clothing was quite unusual, and included a blue bodysuit, which covered everything except his hands, feet, and head; white gloves on his hands, and white boots on his feet; and, to top it off, what appeared to be white body armor covering his torso, complete with light brown shoulder pads and leg guards. To complete the look, he was wearing some kind of odd, mechanical device on the left side of his head, with a blue glass lens over his left eye like a screen.

Feeling like he should offer to help, Roshi took a tentative step forward. The boy lifted his head in surprise, apparently not having known that the old martial artist was standing in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, his voice high-pitched and grating, as he rose to his feet and brushed the sand off of his hands and legs. "And while we're at it, where the hell am I?"

Taken aback by the harsh response, Roshi took a second to respond. "Um… my name is Master Muten Roshi. And as to where you are, well…" He gestured around. "Basically, you're on my island."

The boy sighed. "Great." He looked around, taking in his surroundings. "Have you, by any chance, seen another of these pods land recently?"

Roshi shook his head slowly. "Uh… no. I'm pretty sure I'd remember another one of these crashing in front of my house."

"Damn it!" the boy cursed. "How the hell am I supposed to find him now?" he muttered to himself.

Roshi was very confused by the situation, but the kid seemed lost, so he could sympathize with that at least. "Well… if you need a place to stay for a while, until you can find whoever it is you're looking for, you're welcome to stay in my house." He pointed to the large pink house standing nearby. "I've got plenty of guest rooms."

The boy considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "Fine. As long as I'm adjusting to this planet, I might as well make use of whatever residence I can find." With that, he turned and started off towards the house.

"Wait!" Roshi called, causing the boy to stop. "Since you're going to be staying here for a while, I should probably know your name. I mean, I told you mine, it's only fair." He chuckled slightly at his own joke, but the boy didn't seem amused.

"All right, then." The boy turned, looking back at Roshi with black eyes that seemed to carry a level of intelligence that belied his young age. "You may call me Vegeta." He smirked. "Prince of all Saiyans."

* * *

 **_Author's Note:_ ** _Just to help everybody keep track, I'm including a little table of contents here to cover all of the individual sagas, in hopes of making it easier for everyone to remember where we are in the story. Obviously, this section will convey some vague potential spoilers, so feel free to skip this last bit if you're a first-time reader and you'd like to avoid any spoilers going in. :)_

**Table of Contents**

**Volume I: _The Early Years_ (Chapters 1-)**

**Dragon Ball Saga (Chapters 1-)**  
Part 1: Refugees  
Part 2: Culture Shock  
Part 3: Warrior's Pride  
Part 4: Full Moon  
Part 5: The Quest Begins  
Part 6: Warriors and Monsters  
Part 7: Desert Wolf  
Part 8: Out of the Fire


	2. Culture Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master Roshi adjusts to having a strange new houseguest, and Vegeta begins adjusting to life on Earth.

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 2: Culture Shock**

_Kame House_

_Planet Earth_

_Age 737_

Vegeta groaned audibly as he walked through the front door of Kame House. "You have _got_ to be kidding me," he muttered. "This is it?"

Roshi, who'd followed him inside, looked mildly offended. "Would you mind not insulting my house?" he asked. "It may not look like much, but it's got everything you might need."

Vegeta glanced back at him coolly. "Somehow, I doubt that." He glanced around again and sighed. "Okay, fine. Is there a bedroom I can use? And a shower?"

"Ah, yeah, there's a spare bedroom upstairs," Roshi replied. "And the shower's in the bathroom, through there." He pointed to a door on his left.

Vegeta nodded. "Very well, then." Turning, he walked briskly across the room and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Roshi stared at the closed door for a moment, his eyes wide in surprise. _Seriously, who_ is _this kid?!_

* * *

It took several minutes for Vegeta to figure out how to work Roshi's shower, but once he'd gotten the hang of it, he spent a considerable amount of time washing off the assorted grime that had accumulated on his body during his long voyage to Earth.

_Okay, I need a plan,_ the young Saiyan thought to himself as water dripped off of his spiky black hair. _I should be able to pick up the signal from Kakarot's pod and track him down. But before I do… I need to know more about this planet, since I might be living here for a long time. And I'm betting that this guy can tell me everything I need to know._

Vegeta nodded in satisfaction. _Okay, it's decided. I'll stay here for a while and learn as much as I can, while using the pod's instruments to find the spot where Kakarot landed. Then I'll go find him._

The young prince's eyes narrowed as he glanced around the shower. _Something's missing here…_

"Hey, Earthling! Where's the cleansing powder?"

"Sorry, I don't know what that is!" Roshi called from the other room. "All I have is soap!"

"What the hell is soap?"

* * *

Once he had gotten out of the shower, Vegeta dried himself off with a towel that Roshi had provided. He put on clothes that had been laid out for him – an oversized white T-shirt and tan beach shorts – and made his way out to the front room.

Roshi, who had been laying out a meal, greeted him in a friendly way. "Ah, good, the clothes fit. I hoped they would; I don't have much lying around that would fit you."

Vegeta shrugged. "Where did you put my armor?" he asked.

"I was going to wash it," Roshi replied, pointing to a laundry basket near the closet. Vegeta's blue bodysuit and white armor was visible in the basket, stacked on top of some of Roshi's shirts.

"Fine." Turning, Vegeta hopped easily into a seat next to the table. "Do you have any food here?"

"Well, I just caught some fish this morning," Roshi replied. "Would you like some?"

"Obviously."

Once Roshi had prepared some freshly cooked fish, he set a large plate down in front of Vegeta. The boy stared incredulously at the food, then looked back up at Roshi. His eyebrows furrowed. "That's _it?_ "

Roshi was taken aback; he hadn't expected a boy this young to eat much. "Well, yes," he replied. "There's more, if you'd like some, but I figured you wouldn't need any more than this."

Vegeta scowled. "You have got to be kidding me," he snapped. "I could eat more than this as a snack!"

Roshi frowned. "Really?" he inquired, skeptical.

"Oh, forget it." Grumbling under his breath, Vegeta promptly tore into the fish in front of him, not bothering to use a fork or knife. The child's appetite was extraordinary; he gobbled down food as if he hadn't eaten in a year. Within a minute, he had cleaned his plate, and then looked back up at Roshi, a smear of grease on his face. "More," he demanded.

For several seconds, Roshi stared, dumbstruck, at Vegeta. "How the heck did you do that?" he asked incredulously. " _I_ couldn't eat that much food anywhere near that fast!"

Vegeta shrugged. "Then our species must have different metabolisms; that much food is just a snack for me. And, considering that I've been in stasis for most of the past six months, I've worked up quite an appetite." He frowned. "How much food do you have here, by the way?"

Roshi raised an eyebrow. "Based on how quickly you ate that? Not enough."

"Great," Vegeta muttered, scowling.

* * *

After they'd finished eating, Vegeta made his way back out to the beach, where he clambered inside the crashed space pod and began working on the internal machinery. A string of muttering, metallic _clangs_ , and muffled curses began echoing from within the craft.

Roshi sat down cross-legged on the sand near the crater, listening to the boy as he continued working. The old martial artist was trying to explore something that he'd sensed from Vegeta earlier: for a moment, when the so-called prince had become irritated at the lack of food earlier, his ki had spiked abruptly, rising higher than anything Roshi had ever sensed. He had no idea whether it had been some kind of error in his ki-sensing ability, or if the kid really was somehow that powerful, but he needed to find out.

"How's it going?" he inquired.

"Fine," Vegeta replied brusquely.

"Do you need any help?"

There was a momentary silence, and then Vegeta poked his head out through the open hatch. "Do you have any experience with alien spacecraft?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Roshi considered that for a moment. "Ah… no, I don't."

Vegeta nodded. "I thought not. In that case, no, I don't need any help." He withdrew inside the pod and went back to work, mumbling to himself again as he checked various components of the ship.

A few minutes passed by, during which the occasional cursing that was mingled with Vegeta's muttering became more and more frequent.

"Are you okay in there?" Roshi spoke up again.

Once again, Vegeta poked his head out through the hatch, wiping a grease stain off his forehead with the back of one hand. "Fine," he answered.

Roshi looked at him quizzically. "If you don't mind my asking, what is it you're doing in there?"

Vegeta sighed, clambering out of the craft and making his way up the side of the crater in the sand. "I'm trying to fix this." He held up the device that he'd been wearing on his head when he'd exited his ship: the lens that went over his eye was cracked, and the device itself appeared to have shorted out. "My scouter broke when I crashed; I was trying to find any components in my ship's communications system that I could use to repair it. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anything." He sighed, sitting down dejectedly on the sand. "If I can't get the damn thing to work, then I'll never be able to find Kakarot."

"Uh… sorry, who's Kakarot?"

Vegeta blinked and glanced over to Roshi again. "Kakarot is a Saiyan, like me. He's the only other Saiyan on this planet, actually; he should have gotten here at around the same time that I did, but obviously he landed on another part of the planet."

"And you can use that thing to find him?" Roshi asked curiously.

"If I can fix it, then yes, I can use it to home in on the signal from his pod." Vegeta thought for a moment. "And I'd better do it soon, because I'm going to have to live on this planet for a considerable amount of time, and if he tries to carry out his mission, that's going to make things very difficult for me."

"Mission?" Roshi frowned. "What mission?"

Vegeta sighed. "Oh, for… all right, I'm only going to tell you this once, so pay attention. Saiyans – that's the species that Kakarot and I both belong to – are a race of powerful warriors. We work for an organization known as the Planet Trade Empire, which is ruled by a powerful being known as Frieza. Our usual missions are to exterminate the populations of planets, so that they can be sold on the market to potential buyers. That's why Kakarot was sent here: his mission is to grow up on this planet, and then to destroy its inhabitants once he's old enough."

Roshi stared at him, wide-eyed and aghast. " _What?_ " he gasped.

"You heard me." Vegeta smirked. "Fortunately for you, I need this planet intact, since I doubt I'll be leaving anytime soon. But that's why I need to find Kakarot, so I can call him off before he can begin his mission to wipe out all life on this planet."

Roshi gulped. "Ah. I see. So, is this Kakarot person as powerful as you, then?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Hardly. I'm an elite Saiyan, heir to the throne of our race. Kakarot is a low-class warrior, greatly inferior in power and status, not to mention that he's only an infant. His power is nothing compared to mine at the moment." Then he frowned, noting something odd. "Wait… how did you know how powerful I am? You don't have a scouter or another device like one, and I haven't done anything that would require me to use my real strength, so how could you tell?"

"I could sense it," Roshi explained. "When you got angry, your ki spiked higher than anything I've ever sensed before."

"Ki?" Vegeta's brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, you must have a different word for it." Roshi nodded understandingly. "Ki is the term for a living being's spiritual energy; its life force. All living things have ki: plants, insects, us. The stronger you are, the more ki you have. If people are aware of their ki, they can learn how to sense it, as I have."

_So, by "ki", he's just talking about energy, the same thing we use to measure power levels…_ Vegeta's eyes widened. _Does that mean he can sense energy without a scouter? Is that possible?_

"This actually makes sense," he said in realization. "The device I'm trying to fix – we call it a scouter – does a variety of things, but one of its uses is to detect the energy of living beings; ki, you called it. When I scan someone with it, it analyzes the energy within their body and uses it to designate their power level, a measurement of how strong they are."

"Interesting," Roshi murmured. "So, technology can be used to sense people's energy?" _That's interesting, but it must not be the most efficient method, considering that if you can't sense ki on your own and have to rely on those devices, you might as well be blind without them…_

"Yeah, basically." Vegeta shrugged. "Another reason why I need to get this thing working." He tapped the scouter impatiently with one hand, but it remained silent.

That was when an idea occurred to him, and he looked up at Roshi. "So, you know how to sense energy without using a scouter?"

Roshi nodded. "I do, yeah."

An eager glint entered Vegeta's eyes. "Could you teach me?"

Roshi's eyes widened in surprise. "Teach you?" He stared at the boy, considering the possibility. "Well, it would take time, and it requires intense concentration…"

"That won't be a problem." Vegeta casually waved off the old martial artist's excuses. "I have yet to meet a challenge that I couldn't overcome. As for time, well…" He indicated their surroundings and the crashed pod with a sweep of his hand. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon, is it?"

After a moment, Roshi chuckled softly and nodded. "All right, then. I'll train you."

"Excellent." Vegeta smirked. "Let's get started."

* * *

Roshi and Vegeta stood on the beach a short distance from the house and the Saiyan's spaceship, facing each other. The waves washed gently against the shore, the steady rushing sound echoing in their ears. Seagulls flew overhead, their cawing echoing on the breeze.

"So how do we do this?" Vegeta inquired.

"Well," Roshi explained, "first, I want to test your abilities. Then we can get started on your real training."

The young prince arched an eyebrow. "All right. What do we do first, then?"

"Show me your power." Roshi's expression was serious. "Your _real_ power. I need to know what I have to work with here."

Vegeta shrugged. "Fine with me. You may want to take a step back, though."

Heeding his warning, Roshi took a few steps back, raising his guard and bracing himself.

Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta held his arms out to the sides and crouched slightly, clenching his hands into fists. A faint breeze whispered through the air, ruffling his hair.

"Hrrr…" he growled. "Rrrr…rrrRRAAGGHH!" His power climbed rapidly, a blue aura flaring to life around him as his ki continued to increase. A strong wind burst outwards from him, swirling the sand around his feet. Roshi staggered backwards, trying to maintain his balance.

"HRAAAH!" Vegeta yelled, bringing all of his strength to the surface as he powered up to maximum. A blast of light burst outwards from within his body, hurling Roshi backwards. For a moment, it felt as if the entire beach was shaking, before the light died down and Vegeta's aura faded as he powered back down to normal.

"So," he said. "How was that?"

Roshi picked himself up, groaning and brushing sand off of his clothes; the shockwave had flung him halfway down the beach, tumbling head over heels. He gawked incredulously at Vegeta. "You're _that_ strong? That's insane; I've never felt anything like that before!"

"Well, that means that I'm definitely the strongest person on this rock," Vegeta muttered. "Which means I probably won't have anyone worthwhile to fight while I'm here." He sighed. "Great. This is going to be _boring_ , on top of everything else."

Roshi frowned, approaching the boy again. "You wanted to fight someone?"

"Of course!" Vegeta exclaimed. "That's what Saiyans do, what we live for! Fighting powerful opponents and growing stronger is one of the greatest joys for us; we love the thrill of battle!" His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm, which quickly faded. "Which is why my stay on this planet is probably going to be very uninteresting."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Roshi replied. "I do happen to have quite a bit of experience with training my energy, which is why I'm so good at training people how to harness their ki." He grinned proudly. "As a matter of fact, I'm widely known as one of the greatest martial arts masters on this planet. And, as a result, I've become one of the strongest people in the world."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. " _You're_ one of the strongest people on this planet?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," the old martial artist countered. "Obviously not as strong as you, considering that I can compare the power I felt from you to my own, but I'd like to think I'm pretty strong myself."

"Okay, then." The prince folded his arms over his chest. "Show me."

Roshi settled into a crouch, clenching his own fists and summoning up his ki. "Rrr… YAAAHH!" His own power rose rapidly, and a faint white aura flickered around his body, swirling up the sand again.

To his surprise, Vegeta actually smiled. "I'm impressed," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the wind kicked up by Roshi's aura. "I can't sense your energy, obviously, but I can tell you've got some decent power." He altered his stance, clenching his hands into fists and digging his feet into the sand. "I'll tell you what: how about this? I'll let you train me, if you let me see what you're made of."

Roshi contemplated that for a moment. "All right," he decided, assuming a fighting stance. "But you'll have to go easy on me; my power's nowhere near your level."

"Agreed. I'll start at my minimum power." Vegeta settled further into his own stance, bracing himself. "Come at me."

"All right." With a grin, Roshi kicked off the sand and propelled himself forward, leaping at Vegeta with a flying kick. Just before impact, however, the young boy's arm snapped up, effortlessly blocking the blow.

Roshi jumped back, staring in shock at Vegeta. _Wow,_ he thought. _He really is incredible!_

Vegeta smirked. "My turn." He shot forward, moving so fast that Roshi barely even saw him move, and swung a right hook, aimed at the old man's head for a quick knockout blow.

Before the blow could connect, however, Roshi ducked backwards, pushing off the ground with his hands and landing a full-force kick to the left side of Vegeta's head. The impact shoved the young prince's head around to the side, but didn't inflict any damage.

"Not bad," the boy remarked, before he seized Roshi's ankles, spun around once, and then let go, hurling him away. Roshi managed to regain control, powering up to maximum and turning his fall into a series of backflips, before skidding to a halt on his feet. Before he'd even managed to run back towards Vegeta, however, the young prince appeared in front of him, launching a series of kicks and punches.

While the Saiyan boy's combination of smaller size and much greater power would normally have been insurmountable, the fact that he was only using his minimum power meant that the two of them were fairly even in terms of strength. And Roshi had spent his life battling many different enemies, some of which had exceeded his own power by a wide margin. He had more fighting experience than anyone he knew, and that would serve him well here.

To an observer, the scene would have looked bizarre; Roshi was dancing backwards across the beach, dodging and deflecting Vegeta's attacks, both of them moving so fast that their forms seemed to blur. For the most part, the Turtle Hermit didn't bother launching any direct attacks, instead waiting patiently for the boy to leave an opening.

_Damn it!_ Vegeta thought in frustration, continuing his assault without much success. _Why can't I hit him? Judging by that kick, he can't be much stronger than I am at my minimum power, so what the hell is going on?!_

After about thirty seconds, Roshi's moment came: Vegeta grinned, angling in for a spinning kick with his right leg, and left himself open in the process. Roshi immediately lunged forward, focusing his ki into his right fist and landing a full-force punch directly to the prince's face, just as Vegeta's foot slammed into his gut.

A resounding impact echoed over the beach, and both fighters hit the ground.

Vegeta clambered to his feet, brushing sand off of himself. He glanced over to where Roshi was groaning and trying to pick himself up. And, to the old martial artist's surprise, he grinned. "Impressive," he admitted. "How did you manage to dodge my attacks? I know you must be at least as strong as I am at my minimum, but based on the strength of those hits, you're not _that_ strong." His eyebrows furrowed. "So how did you do that?"

"Simple; I'm several hundred years old." Roshi shrugged, sitting up on the sand. "I've been a martial artist for most of my life, and when you live to be as old as I am, you learn a few tricks. In this case, I was able to use my experience, and the fact that you don't know anything about how I fight, to make up for my lack of raw power."

The Saiyan child was actually impressed; this man had a fighting style that was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, and it had actually proven challenging. "Not bad, Earthling. How did you learn to fight like that?"

Roshi raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you want, I could teach you."

Vegeta frowned. "Really? You'd be willing to teach me your techniques, even after I've told you that my people destroy planets for profit?"

The hermit grinned. "You _did_ tell me that, yeah. But that's your _people_ , not _you_. See, I've always been able to read people fairly well, once I get to know them. And trust me when I say this, Vegeta: you could be a great man someday, if you're willing to put in the effort." His expression was open and honest, and there was conviction in his eyes. "With power like yours, if you can learn to control it properly, and use it to help people… you could be a hero."

Vegeta snorted. "If you've been alive for as long as you claim, old man, then you should know: there's no such thing as heroes." He smirked in amusement. "But I _will_ let you teach me your martial arts, if only because your skills intrigue me, and I'll need something to pass the time until I can locate Kakarot."

Inwardly, Roshi sighed. This was going to take a while. Outwardly, however, he retained a pleasant attitude, and smiled at the child standing in front of him.

"Right, then," he decided, holding out his right hand. "Do we have a deal?"

The Saiyan prince looked at the old man's outstretched hand for a long moment, as if he was still making up his mind.

And then, after a moment, he nodded, and shook Roshi's hand.

"We have a deal," he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Vegeta and Roshi begin their official training, and Vegeta makes progress in his plan to locate Kakarot.


	3. Warrior's Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out what's happening to Nappa and Raditz in Vegeta's absence; Vegeta and Roshi officially begin their training; and Vegeta makes progress in his efforts to locate Kakarot.

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 3: Warrior's Pride**

_Planet Frieza 263_

_Age 738_

A Saiyan Attack Pod sped through the blackness of space, rapidly approaching the planet. A fiery corona surrounded it as it entered the atmosphere, streaking towards the barren surface.

After a few minutes, the pod neared its destination: a large military installation, primarily comprised of domed white buildings with purple highlights. The spherical vessel began to decelerate, until it finally slammed down onto one of the landing pads with a resounding thunderclap that echoed across the base.

The pod's hatch opened with a hiss, and a tall, muscular figure emerged, stepping out onto the landing pad. The armored soldiers who had been waiting to greet the pod's occupant backed away nervously.

Summoning up some courage, one of the soldiers approached him. "Ah, General, it's good to see you! Welcome to Planet Frieza 263."

"Save it." General Nappa cut the soldier off with a wave of his hand. "Get out of my way." Brushing past the soldiers, he strode into the building, calling back, "I want that pod ready to fly and fully restocked with food supplies and fuel in two hours, got it?"

"Uh… yes, sir!" With that, the soldiers hurried off to begin the work. Ignoring them, Nappa entered the base, tapping his scouter to home in on the individual he'd come there to find. Within a few seconds, the scouter beeped, confirming the location.

With a satisfied nod, the bald Saiyan continued on his way, heading down several hallways until he reached the entrance to a training room. The door was closed, and the light above it was glowing green, indicating that the room was currently in use.

Nappa didn't bother knocking: he just hit the button on the wall, opening the door, and walked in. He entered the room just in time to hear a yell, and looked up as a young boy with knee-length, untamed black hair leapt across the room, swinging kicks and punches at the air. He rebounded off the wall, firing an energy blast that detonated against the ceiling and was immediately absorbed as the room's inbuilt defense systems redirected the energy to the base's power supply.

Observing the boy's continued training, Nappa cleared his throat loudly. "Raditz?" he called.

The young Saiyan reacted in surprise, whipping around to face Nappa and skidding to a halt on the metal floor. "General Nappa!" he said in surprise, dropping to one knee and inclining his head in a gesture of respect.

"Oh, get up!" Nappa waved him off with a humorless snort. "We don't need to rest on ceremony here."

"Ah… y-yes, sir." Raditz rose to his feet. "I hadn't expected to see you here."

"Well, normally I wouldn't be," Nappa replied, "but I was looking for you." He sighed. "I suppose you've heard that our planet was destroyed."

Raditz stood motionless for a moment, looking downcast. "Yes… yes, I did." His eyes closed for a moment. "My family…"

Nappa nodded. "I know, kid. But we can't let this weaken us. The two of us need to stick together, because right now as far as I know, we're the only Saiyans left. We're all that's left of our race."

The younger Saiyan's eyes widened in alarm. "We're the last? But… what about Prince Vegeta? I heard you were looking after him."

"I was," Nappa agreed, "but, shortly after we received word that the planet was destroyed… he disappeared. I've spent most of the past year looking for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere. Personally, I…" He sighed. "I don't think I'm going to find him. I don't want to think the worst, so I'm hoping that he's just on a mission somewhere, but no one I've talked to knows where he is either."

"So, you think he might be…" Raditz trailed off, a look of fear on his face.

"Yeah." Nappa nodded soberly.

There was silence for a long moment; then Raditz spoke up. "So… what do we do now, sir?"

Nappa had been turning the situation over in his mind, going over every possible course of action. When he thought about it, there were really only two options: he could return to his normal life as a soldier under Frieza and bury himself in anonymity, or…

"We train," he said firmly. "We push ourselves to the limits and beyond, and we get as strong as we possibly can. It's just us now: no planet, no prince or king looking over our shoulder to tell us what to do. We're the only ones left. And I swear to you, Raditz, we're going to honor everyone we lost."

Raditz looked up, a hint of eagerness on his face. "Do you really think we can do it, sir?" he asked.

"Of course we can." Nappa flashed a confident grin. "We're gonna get strong enough that we'll never have to rely on anyone else again."

_And_ , he added silently, _if I get the chance someday, I'll make that coward Frieza pay for everything he's ever done to our race._ His black eyes narrowed. _And that's a promise._

* * *

_Kame House_

_Planet Earth_

_Age 738_

Master Roshi woke up at sunrise, as was his custom. The old martial artist glanced around the room, letting out a sigh as he stretched and leisurely clambered out of bed, pulling on beige shorts and a blue Hawaiian shirt.

As he entered the kitchen, a sound caught his ear; a faint shout, coming from outside. He made his way over to the window and looked outside, squinting against the glare of the rising sun.

Silhouetted against that light, he saw a figure dashing back and forth across the beach, throwing kicks and punches into the air. The figure was constantly in motion; ducking, rolling, backflipping, jumping, never stopping in one place for more than a few moments at a time.

Roshi groaned. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered.

Vegeta's dedication to training had amazed the older man. The Saiyan boy had spent the majority of his time since he'd reached the island either training, eating, or continuing his efforts to repair his damaged spaceship and scouter. Unfortunately, he still hadn't managed to get his communication systems up and running, as Kame House had very little in the way of useful mechanical tools for him to use. The island was also hundreds of miles from the nearest populated area, making it nearly impossible for them to get any other supplies.

As a result, Vegeta had been living on the island for over a year, and still wasn't any closer to finding this other Saiyan than he had been originally.

With a yell, the boy spun, shoving one hand outwards and launching a powerful _kiai_. The invisible wave of force slammed into the ocean, kicking up a shower of seawater that fell like rain all around him. As if this marked the end of his session, he stood motionless, gazing out to sea for a long moment. Steam rose from his body and clothes as his power evaporated the water on his skin, cooling him.

Turning, Vegeta strode back across the beach towards Kame House. He was wearing the clothes that Roshi had made for him; a downsized version of the martial arts master's custom, orange-and-blue Turtle School gi, with the addition of his white boots and gloves. As usual, everything he was wearing, with the exception of his orange pants and dark blue undershirt, contained heavy weights, designed to make training more difficult. It didn't have much effect on him, of course, but the prince was determined to get as much out of his training as possible. The lack of challenges was grating on his nerves; his Saiyan instincts longed for a battle, but Roshi's training would have to do.

"Morning, Vegeta," Roshi greeted him as the boy entered the house.

Vegeta grunted noncommittally and headed straight for the shower, closing and locking the door behind him.

Shrugging, the old human turned back to the fish he was preparing for breakfast. _I swear, I'll never understand that one…_

* * *

Over breakfast, Vegeta once again pressed Roshi with further questions about his fighting experiences and techniques. The Saiyan child learned extremely quickly, and Roshi was hard-pressed to keep him interested in training.

Vegeta's training had been unconventional, to say the least. His power far exceeded Roshi's, even when the old martial artist was fighting all-out, so training him to increase his strength had been a futile exercise. Roshi had initially tried his standard training method, but the weighted turtle shells he normally used were basically useless. So he'd altered his methods in this case, focusing on training Vegeta's fighting skills rather than his strength. He had also managed to teach the young prince how to sense energy, and Vegeta had spent a considerable amount of time honing that skill already.

The boy frowned. "So, what was that technique you were telling me about a few days ago?" he asked. "The Kamahame, or something?"

"The Kamehameha," Roshi corrected with a smile. "It's my most powerful technique. Took me fifty years to learn that one, but I've never regretted taking the time to master it."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Can anyone learn it?" he inquired.

The older man considered that. "Well, I suppose so, yes… but, as I said, it's quite difficult to learn."

A grin spread across the young Saiyan's face. "Could you teach me how to use it?"

Roshi was caught off-guard. "I… well, I could try, but I'm not sure if you could learn it. I mean, you've only recently learned how to sense energy, and, as I said, it took me fifty years… but I can try."

"Excellent." There was an eager glint in Vegeta's eyes. "Let's do it."

* * *

After finishing their meal, Roshi joined Vegeta on the beach outside Kame House. The steady rushing sound of the waves washing against the sandy shore, combined with the salty sea air, created a peaceful atmosphere.

"Right, then," Vegeta said, watching Roshi expectantly. "How does this technique of yours work?"

"Here, watch. I'll demonstrate." With that, Roshi shrugged off his Hawaiian shirt and tossed it aside, before turning to face the ocean and settling into the familiar stance. He held both arms out in front of him, bringing his hands together with his right hand over his left, his palms facing each other. His fingers curved inward, focusing his energy into the palms of his hands.

"Ka…" Roshi murmured. "Me…" He pulled his hands back, holding them by his right side, and focused his energy more intensely. A faint blue glow began to flicker between his hands.

Vegeta looked on with interest. _What's he doing?_

"Ha…" Roshi's eyes narrowed, the blue light between his hands brightening. "Me…" He growled, his muscles flexing, and powered up to maximum, a white aura flickering around him. The loose sand around his feet was swirled around by his aura, a wind expanding outwards.

And then, with a yell, the old martial artist's muscles bulged outwards massively, and a burst of power blasted outwards from him.

The young Saiyan's eyes widened in surprise, and he actually took a step back. _What the hell is this? How is he doing that?_

Roshi's eyes narrowed to slits as he continued to charge up energy, waiting until his power was built up to its maximum.

His eyes opened wide. _Now._

"HAAA!" With that, Roshi swung his hands forward, launching a powerful blue energy beam. The Kamehameha wave crashed into the ocean about half a mile offshore and detonated, sending a massive eruption of water bursting upwards.

Powering back down to normal, Roshi exhaled slowly as his muscles diminished back to their regular size. He glanced over to Vegeta, and was surprised to see that the Saiyan boy was grinning.

"That was impressive!" he complimented. "I didn't think you had that much power, and that's a potent technique." His eyes gleamed enthusiastically. "I have to test that one out."

"Well, all right. By all means, give it a try." Roshi smiled. "But don't be surprised if it doesn't work properly the first time."

"No problem." Vegeta turned to face the ocean and dug his feet into the sand. "Now, the attack chant is 'Ka, me, ha, me, ha,' right?"

"Right," Roshi affirmed.

"Got it." Vegeta bent his knees slightly, crouching, and held both arms out in front of him, carefully mimicking Roshi's stance. "Ka…" He began focusing his energy into the palms of his hands, concentrating it as he'd seen the old martial artist do. "Me…"

Roshi retrieved his Hawaiian shirt from where it had fallen, shook off the sand, and watched with interest as he slipped it back on. _I know he's got a massive amount of power, but even so, I'm not sure if he can master the Kamehameha as quickly as he's taken to everything else._

"Ha…" Still mirroring Roshi, Vegeta lowered his hands to his side, letting his ki flow into his hands, and out into the air between his palms. His blue-white aura flared to life, a gust of wind blowing outwards from his body and whipping up the sand. " _Me…_ "

Despite his doubts, Roshi's eyes widened in amazement. _No… he can't_ really _be about to…_

Vegeta swung his hands forward. "HAAAA!"

A large blue beam of energy, at least twice the size of Roshi's earlier Kamehameha, burst from the Saiyan's hands. It carved a trench through the ocean, blasting the water backwards in a line for at least a mile, before the energy finally detonated with a distant, echoing _boom_. The water rushed back in, quickly filling the empty space that had been left behind.

Vegeta remained standing, his steaming hands still extended in the direction of the attack. "So… how was that?"

Roshi had been hurled backwards by the shockwave; he picked himself up, gazing incredulously at his student. "How did you do that?!" he exclaimed. "That shouldn't be possible!"

Dusting off his hands, the prince grinned. "I'm a Saiyan; it's easier for us to pick up new techniques than it is for many other races, since we're genetically built to fight and grow stronger." He turned to face the older man, a smirk on his face. "That's an impressive technique, I'll admit. I'll have to master that one; it might come in handy someday." Strolling past Roshi, he headed back towards the house.

Roshi remained standing on the beach for a long moment, gazing out at the spot where Vegeta's attack had detonated.

_How could he possibly have managed to do that?_ he thought as he turned and followed the boy back towards Kame House. _It took me fifty years to learn the Kamehameha, and he does it first try?!_

He frowned. _I'll have to be careful with him… he could be extremely dangerous if he chose._

* * *

_Three months later…_

Vegeta sat cross-legged on the beach, his eyes closed in meditation. The prince had taken to waking up before dawn to do this, as he enjoyed the cool night air.

It had been almost a year and a half since he'd landed on this planet, and he still had no idea where Kakarot was. The scouter was still broken; nothing he could find in the pod had been able to fix it. And without the homing device in it, he had no way of finding the other Saiyan child's space pod.

Other problems had presented themselves. Although he had continued his rigorous training, Vegeta had found that for the most part, he wasn't getting any stronger. The reason why wasn't a mystery: there were two very simple reasons for it. First, the fact that he was, by far, the strongest being on this planet meant that no one could give him a decent fight, unless he deliberately held back, and therefore he had no challenges and no way to increase his power. Second, the gravity on this planet, as the pod's scientific instruments had informed him, was only one-tenth that of Planet Vegeta. As a result, Vegeta felt much lighter than he did on his home planet. While this meant that flying was now much easier for him, it also decreased the efficiency of his training.

Suddenly, a faint beeping noise echoed through the air, snapping the prince out of his meditative trance. Blinking curiously, he turned, glancing around the beach. Nothing was in sight, but the noise continued. That was when he recognized the sound: it was the alarm from his Attack Pod's computer.

Frowning in surprise, the Saiyan boy dashed across the beach towards the small wooden shed that he and Roshi had built to house the Attack Pod. The sound was definitely coming from inside. Lifting the latch, he opened the shed's door and ducked inside, hurrying over to the pod and tapping the button that opened its hatch.

With the pod open, he could clearly see the source of the noise: one of the interior screens had lit up, showing an image of Earth that had been taken when his pod had scanned the planet from orbit upon his arrival. A glowing red dot was present on the screen, indicating the position of Vegeta's pod, which was still in the same place it had been since he'd arrived.

Now, however, a second glowing dot had appeared, this one hundreds of miles to the northeast. The new dot was flashing repeatedly, each flash coinciding with another _beep_ from the pod's alarm.

Slipping into the pilot's seat, Vegeta tapped a button, silencing the alarm, and homed in on the signal's source. He couldn't get much better resolution, but it was enough that he was able to pinpoint the location.

A grin spread across his face. _Yes!_ He clenched one hand into a fist, excitement welling up inside him.

"Looks like I've finally found you, Kakarot," he murmured. "It's about time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Vegeta finally succeeds in tracking down Kakarot… but what he finds when he gets there may not be what he expected.


	4. Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta succeeds in locating Kakarot, but what he finds isn't what he expected.

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 4: Full Moon**

_Kame House_

_Planet Earth_

_Age 738_

Vegeta burst through the front door into Kame House to find Roshi seated at the table, eating an early breakfast.

The old martial artist looked up in surprise. "Vegeta? What's wrong?"

"I found him," Vegeta replied, an excited grin flickering across his face. "My Attack Pod's computer finally picked up a transmission: I have the location where Kakarot's ship landed."

Roshi's eyes widened. "Really? That's great!" Then he paused as a realization struck him. "Wait… that means you're leaving, aren't you?"

The Saiyan child nodded. "Yes, I am. I need to find Kakarot before he starts his mission; frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't already, so there's no time to lose. I'll go to that location, find him, and bring him back here as soon as he's old enough to travel long distances."

The martial artist was surprised, blinking curiously. "You're bringing him back here?"

"Of course." Vegeta shrugged. "My ship's still here, and I can't very well take that with me when I go looking for him. So I need you to keep it safely here and make sure nothing happens to it while I'm gone."

After a moment, Roshi nodded in assent. "All right," he agreed. "I'll take care of it for you. Just make sure you bring your friend back here as soon as you can, all right?" Privately, he'd found that he quite liked having Vegeta around, and he was going to miss the child while he was gone.

"I will," Vegeta agreed promptly. "Now, I'll need supplies for the journey there, if you don't mind."

The old man grinned. "You got it."

* * *

Several hours later, Vegeta stood on the front porch of Kame House, ready to depart. He was wearing his Saiyan armor, rather than the training outfit that Roshi had lent him, as he figured he should set the right example for Kakarot when he got there. However, he did have the other clothes Roshi had found for him tucked into the backpack he was wearing, as he would need a change of clothes.

"Good luck out there, Vegeta," Roshi advised him. "And you'd better come back, you hear me?"

The prince smirked. "Of course. I'll need my ship back eventually, after all. So you'll definitely see me again." He walked down the front steps and out onto the beach. Turning around, he glanced at Roshi and held up a hand in farewell. Then his blue aura flared to life around him, and he blasted off into the air with a rush of wind and a swirl of sand.

Roshi watched as the small figure vanished onto the horizon. "Take care of yourself, kid," he murmured under his breath. "I have a feeling this world may need you someday."

* * *

Vegeta soared effortlessly through the sky, his aura leaving a blue streak behind him as he flew onward. He had flown since arriving on this planet, of course, but nothing like this.

Letting out an invigorated shout, he spun, spiraling downwards through the clouds until it seemed that he was about to plunge into the ocean, and then pulling away at the last second, rising back into the sky.

Pulling a small radar scanner from his pocket as he flew, he checked the screen. He had removed the device from his damaged pod, and had altered it somewhat to make it a portable handheld rather than a ship-mounted sensor.

Confirmed that he was going the right way, Vegeta powered up and accelerated, carving through the clouds as he rocketed towards his destination.

* * *

_Mount Paozu, Planet Earth_

It took the prince a few hours to reach his destination. His flying speed seemed to have increased on this world, which was most likely a result of the lower gravity here. He kept checking the scanner, homing in on the signal from Kakarot's Attack Pod.

Finally, he located the source of the transmission: a large mountain, covered in dense forest. Circling above the treetops, he closed in on the signal, until he'd finally pinpointed its exact location. Readying himself, he descended feetfirst through the trees, landing lightly on the forest floor. He walked forwards, pushing through the bushes.

And that was when he saw it, partially visible among a clump of tall, cylindrical, grass-like plants: a Saiyan Attack Pod, very similar to his own. The familiar triangular insignia adorned its side.

As the young prince approached the pod, he was surprised to find that the hatch was open a crack. Pulling it the rest of the way open, he peered inside, looking around. As he'd feared, it was empty.

Vegeta sighed. "Great." He looked around, sealing the hatch to protect the pod's interior from the elements. _Well, let's be realistic about this. He can't have gotten far: he_ is _only a baby, after all. There hasn't been any damage to this pod, or to the surrounding forest, so I'm assuming he didn't transform and escape. Which leaves only one option._

He scowled. _Someone else has already found him and taken him elsewhere._

Vegeta glanced around, examining the area around the pod for any signs of someone else who might have been here. It only took him a few seconds to identify a nearby walking trail that led off through the woods, and his eyes narrowed. _There we go._

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, the Saiyan boy emerged out of the woods, into a large clearing. A small house was visible up ahead, at the end of a larger dirt road that led away through the trees.

"Hello?" Vegeta called out as he walked forward across the clearing. No one answered, but he could sense at least one energy signature inside the house.

Walking up to the front door, he knocked loudly. After a few seconds, an elderly man opened the door. He had a large white mustache, and was wearing a black shirt and pants under a large orange-and-white shirt patterned with yellow circles.

"Oh, hello," he said in surprise. "Um… can I help you?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "That depends on whether you have what I'm looking for."

The old man blinked curiously. "And what would that be?"

"Have you seen a young child in this area recently?" Vegeta asked matter-of-factly. "He would be about a year old, with spiky black hair and a tail."

The old man's eyes widened in astonishment. "You… you know that boy?"

The young prince smirked faintly. "You could say that, yes." He took a step back, letting his tail unfurl from around his waist and wave behind him. "You might say I'm family, of sorts."

The old man took a step back, inhaling sharply. "Amazing!" he gasped. "How…?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Well, based on that reaction, I'm assuming you've seen him. Where is he?"

"The boy?" The old man's shock faded somewhat. "He's, ah… he's inside, sleeping." He pointed over his shoulder, and then smiled. "Where are my manners? By all means, my boy, do come in."

Nodding briskly, Vegeta brushed past him and strode into the house. It wasn't much to look at: just a small kitchen, a dining table, and a bed tucked into one corner. Beside that bed was a small wooden crib. The crib seemed to be a recent addition to the room, as the nearby furniture had obviously been moved out of the way to make room for it.

Vegeta walked up to the crib. Since it wasn't elevated above floor level, he was able to see inside despite his small stature. Inside lay a sleeping child; a young boy, no more than a year old. His spiky dark hair and the tail that was visibly wrapped around his waist marked him as a Saiyan.

"Kakarot," Vegeta murmured.

"I found him about a year ago," the old man explained without hearing him, walking up to them and gazing down fondly at the sleeping boy. "I was out gathering firewood, when I heard it. Thought it must be thunder at first, until I heard an explosion and the ground shook. I saw the smoke over the trees, so I hurried over to see what it was. When I got there, I didn't know what to think: I'd been expecting a lightning strike, but what I saw was some kind of metal… ship, I suppose is the word. I'd never seen anything like it before." He looked down at the baby Saiyan and smiled. "I walked up to it to see if I could figure out what it was. There was a little window in the side, so I looked in, and there he was. I couldn't believe my eyes: things like this don't just… happen!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. _Not on_ this _planet, anyway,_ he thought to himself condescendingly.

"So, after I figured out how to get the darn thing open, I picked him up and carried him home, and he's been here ever since." The old man sat on a nearby footstool, gazing curiously at Vegeta. "Now, if I may ask… who are you?" He glanced from the young prince to the boy in the crib, and back again. "Are you two related? You look very similar."

"Related?" Vegeta scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. We're the same species, but that's all. I share no relation with him." He turned up his nose, looking over at the sleeping child with disdain. It was an automatic reflex: to tell the truth, he had no reason to dislike Kakarot as yet, but he'd grown accustomed to treating other Saiyans as inferiors, so he looked down on the other child out of habit.

The old man frowned. "Well, then, who are you?"

The young prince smirked. "My name is Vegeta, and that's all you need to know about me. Now, if you don't mind…"

A sound interrupted him, and he turned back to the crib to see that Kakarot was waking up. The baby yawned, opening his dark eyes and looking curiously up at Vegeta. Other than the sound of his breathing, he didn't make much noise.

Vegeta frowned. _That's odd. I've been to the nurseries back home: if there's anything I know about Saiyan babies, it's that they almost never shut up. So why is he so calm?_

Intrigued, he turned around and leaned over the crib, ignoring the old man for the moment. He stared intently at Kakarot, and the baby gazed inquisitively back at him.

_Okay, let's try something else,_ the prince decided. Carefully, he reached out a hand and gently poked Kakarot on the stomach.

The baby giggled, but made no other reply.

Vegeta's eyes widened. _What? Normally a Saiyan child would have tried to bite me the second I did that!_ He poked Kakarot's stomach again, a little harder this time, but again the Saiyan child just giggled happily. He grabbed onto Vegeta's hand, playfully tugging at the prince's fingers, but didn't attempt to bite him or harm him in any way.

Vegeta yanked his hand away and whirled on the old man. "What's wrong with him?" he demanded.

The old man took a step back, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "I _mean_ that, at his age, he should be constantly aggressive, hostile, vicious… hell, he should be borderline savage! And he _definitely_ shouldn't be this… passive!" He spat the word _passive_ as if it was an epithet, waving at the baby Saiyan in the crib.

The old man seemed confused for a moment. "Hmm…" Then his eyes opened wide in realization, and he snapped his fingers. "Oh, yes, of course! That must be it!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The old man smiled faintly and sighed. "Well, for quite a while after I found him, he had quite a nasty temperament, just like what you were talking about. One day, though, I had taken him out for a walk through the woods. We were walking along the edge of a ravine, and I carried him across a large fallen tree that had fallen across it. Only, he was struggling the whole time, and when we were halfway across he kicked me in the face and I lost my grip on him. He fell down the hill and hit his head on a big rock at the bottom of the ravine."

Vegeta's head snapped around. "What?!"

"I was able to climb down and get him," the old man explained. "Fortunately, he wasn't too badly hurt, apart from a pretty nasty cut on his head. I brought him home and fixed him up, and he recovered fairly quickly." He blinked. "Although, ever since then, he hasn't acted like that anymore: he's been very playful and happy, just like a normal child. I didn't think much of it, to be honest: he healed perfectly well, and since then it's been much easier for me to care for him." He smiled fondly as he looked over at the child, who giggled again as if he knew that he was the topic of discussion.

"What… but…" Vegeta was momentarily lost for words. After a long moment, though, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

_Oh, dear god, he's brain-damaged,_ he thought to himself as he stared back down at Kakarot. _What the hell am I supposed to do?! I'm stuck on a dead-end planet in the middle of nowhere, and the only other Saiyan within hundreds of light-years – if there are any of us left at all – is_ brain-damaged _?!_

An audible groan escaped his lips, and he sank onto the floor next to the crib.

"Are you all right?" the old man inquired.

After a few seconds, Vegeta sighed. "Now, what would give you that impression?" he muttered. "The fact that you managed to mentally damage the only other member of my species on this godforsaken planet?!"

"Hang on… your _species?_ " The old man frowned, uncomprehendingly. "You mean, you and Goku aren't human?"

"Of course not," Vegeta shot back. He indicated himself and Kakarot with a wave of his hand. "This boy and I are members of a species known as Saiyans. And no, we're not from this planet: we were sent here when our own planet was destroyed." He sighed, his posture slumping. "As far as I know, he and I may be the last members of our race in existence."

The old man was watching him with a sympathetic expression on his face. Vegeta, however, didn't want pity from anyone, especially not some weakling human.

Abruptly, however, something that the old man had said a few seconds earlier registered. Vegeta frowned, lifting his head and looking over at him. "And who the hell is _Goku_?" he demanded.

"Well, that's what I named him," the old man explained. "Son Goku. I named him after myself: my name's Son Gohan." He extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, by the way… Vegeta, did you say?"

"Yes," Vegeta replied curtly, not bothering to shake his hand. "And, for your information, his _name_ is Kakarot."

"Kakarot." The old man, Gohan, considered. "An interesting name."

"Oh, shut up," Vegeta muttered.

* * *

Much against his better judgment, Vegeta reluctantly chose to stay at the old man's home. Ostensibly, it was indefinite, but he had every intention of taking Kakarot and returning to Roshi's home as soon as the boy was old enough to fly.

This, as it turned out, would take much longer than he had initially thought.

Kakarot – or "Goku", as Gohan insisted on calling him – was, without a doubt, a Saiyan. Despite his head injury suppressing his natural disposition, he had the same ravenous appetite, and the same desire to train and grow stronger, as a normal Saiyan. That came as a relief to Vegeta, who had been worried that the boy might grow up no different than the other weakling inhabitants of this planet. However, he had also become quite attached to Gohan, and separating them at this point might be difficult.

Vegeta himself continued to train, of course, but he didn't get much improvement, even less than he had as Roshi's student. At the very least, Roshi had known some highly useful techniques, and his power had been significantly greater than Gohan's. To his credit, though, the old man had turned out to be a decent martial artist in his own right: as it turned out, he'd apparently also trained under Roshi at some point. However, just like Roshi, he wasn't nearly strong enough to be a decent sparring partner.

Time passed. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and still Vegeta stayed, against his better judgment, with Kakarot and Gohan, and in a state of near-constant boredom.

Once Kakarot/Goku was old enough, Vegeta immediately started him on training, trying to toughen the kid up a little. While Goku immediately took to fighting with a passion, actual martial arts were still beyond him, given that he was still basically a toddler (although Saiyan toddlers were much stronger and more durable than human ones). Vegeta wasn't concerned: the boy was bound to improve with time, after all, and they had all the time in the world.

The only precaution that the young prince knew he had to take was the possibility of Kakarot or himself transforming into their Oozaru, or Great Ape, state by looking at a full moon. He had noticed on his approach to the planet that it possessed a large moon, perfectly suited for generating the Blutz waves necessary for the transformation. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much training on his Oozaru state yet, as he'd still been a child when he escaped Frieza's army, and he knew that Kakarot would have no control whatsoever. To that end, he'd made sure to avoid looking at the moon while he was on Roshi's island, to keep himself from transforming. To prevent this from happening to Kakarot, he'd deigned to inform Gohan of the potential danger. The old man had immediately agreed that they should make sure that didn't happen, and so he'd made sure that Goku understood never to look at the full moon, claiming that it would cause a monster to attack him.

For quite some time, the Saiyan child obeyed these instructions without question. Countless nights passed without any incident.

And then, one ordinary night, two years after Vegeta had moved in with Goku and Gohan, something went wrong.

* * *

_Mount Paozu, Age 740…_

Vegeta was sleeping peacefully in his bed, tucked into a corner of Gohan's small house, when he heard a muffled _boom_ from outside. His eyes snapped open, just as a second impact echoed through the wall. It was followed by a thunderous roar.

Vegeta's eyes widened in realization. _Oh, hell,_ he thought.

And then the ceiling came crashing down on top of him.

Fortunately, the prince was able to quickly raise his own power level just before the impact, thereby shielding himself from harm. The rest of the house, however, was pulverized, and Vegeta was buried under the resulting avalanche of shattered wood.

Cursing, the Saiyan flung out his aura, smashing aside the rubble, and staggered to his feet, glancing around wildly. Even at night, it was obvious what had happened: there was no mistaking the massive figure towering over him, which had just crushed the house with a single stomp of its massive foot.

"Damn it, Kakarot!" Vegeta hissed as he glared up at the looming mass of the Oozaru, taking care to shield his eyes from the light of the full moon. "I _told_ you not to look at the damn moon!" Of course, the fact that Kakarot was only three years old had made it difficult from the start, but he'd hoped that the kid wouldn't transform until he was old enough to be trained. Clearly, this was no longer the case.

_Oh, to hell with it._ The situation wasn't all that bad in any case: Kakarot might be ten times stronger in this form, but he still wasn't nearly as strong as Vegeta himself. Even without his own Oozaru transformation, the prince would be able to handle this.

Even as a quick strategy flashed into the young Saiyan's mind, the Oozaru noticed him. Red eyes blazing, it let out an angry roar and swung a massive fist down at him.

Vegeta reacted instantly. Powering up swiftly, he dove and rolled to one side as the beast's fist struck the ground, smashing a crater into the dirt. Leaping into the air, he vaulted over its next backhanded swipe, then landed on its outstretched arm. Running along the arm, he kept up his speed until he reached its shoulder and then lunged forward, swinging an uppercut that crashed into its lower jaw and knocked the Oozaru flat on its back. The entire area shook when it crashed to the ground.

Struggling to its feet, the Oozaru roared angrily, rubbing at its bruised jaw with one hand. Its tail lashed behind it, knocking over several nearby trees in the process, as it turned, looking for its attacker.

There was no warning; Vegeta appeared directly in front of the Oozaru, swooping down and striking it with a full-body slam into its chest. Normally, this wouldn't have done anything, but he had powered up to a significant portion of his full strength before impact. The Oozaru was launched backwards, sent smashing through a dozen trees and carving a trail through the forest before it skidded to a halt. Roaring, it picked itself up, panting and searching again for its diminutive opponent.

This time, Vegeta appeared above and behind the creature with a burst of super-speed. His eyes narrowed as he came to a decision: this battle had lasted long enough. Clenching his fists together, he swung before the Oozaru could turn around, landing a solid, double-fisted hammer strike to the back of its neck.

The Oozaru's roar cut off abruptly. Its eyes widened, before the red glow in them faded away. Then its eyes rolled up into its head, and it toppled, unconscious. It crushed several more trees when it fell.

Vegeta descended from overhead, landing lightly beside the unconscious beast as its body began to shrink. The dark fur melted away, replaced by normal skin, as it reverted to the sleeping body of Goku.

Sighing, the eight-year-old Saiyan prince picked up the baby, carrying Goku gently in his arms, and lifted off again, floating swiftly back towards the collapsed house. It was then that a sudden thought struck him.

_Where was the old man?_

* * *

Son Gohan lay crumpled amid the ruins of his home. The lower half of his body had been crushed, his legs broken and his ribs snapped like twigs. Unlike Vegeta, the Oozaru's foot had come down squarely on top of him.

As he set Goku's sleeping form down and caught sight of the crumpled form amid the rubble, Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. He rushed forward, heaving the rubble off of Gohan's body with a single wave of his arm, and crouched down beside the old man.

Gohan coughed weakly, gasping for air as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. "Ve…geta? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," the prince replied, looking down into the old man's face.

The elderly martial artist coughed again, trying to summon up the strength to speak. "And… G-Goku?"

"He's fine," Vegeta assured him, for once not bothering to correct the boy's name. He'd never particularly liked Gohan, but over time he had grown to have at least a little respect for him. It was clear that the man was a decent fighter, even if his power wasn't much to speak of, and he had taken care of Kakarot the best he could.

"Good," Gohan wheezed. Blood bubbled at the corners of his mouth, but he still retained enough strength to reach up and grasp Vegeta's shoulder. "Now… listen to me. You have to take care of Goku. That boy… he's going to be a great man someday. You two will both grow up to do great things. I can sense that, but… you have to look out for each other. Take care of each other." Despite his broken body, his eyes burned with conviction. " _Promise me._ "

After a long moment of silence, his eyes locked on Gohan's, Vegeta nodded. "I will," he said, his voice oddly soft for a moment before he cleared his throat. "I'll keep him safe. That, I promise you."

Gohan nodded in satisfaction. "Good," he breathed. His head sank back, and he lay back, serene amid the rubble. He closed his eyes, and Vegeta heard him sigh as his body went limp.

And then there was silence.

Slowly, Vegeta walked away from the old man's body and made his way back over to where Goku still lay sleeping. Picking up the Saiyan child, he gazed down at Goku's face, frowning at the younger boy's peaceful expression. After a moment, though, his frown faded away.

"Don't worry, Kakarot," he said, his voice sounding almost gentle. "I'll look after you." He sighed. "Someone has to, after all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who may have guessed that Goku's head injury would still have happened in this timeline, well done! Since it had already been over a year by the time Vegeta found him, he had already hit his head and experienced the resulting personality shift. So he will grow up as Goku, but it may be obvious that he'll be slightly different as a result of Vegeta's presence.
> 
> Sorry to those of you who are fans of Grandpa Gohan, but his death was important to develop the relationship between Vegeta and Goku. We'll see how that relationship has progressed next chapter!
> 
> Next chapter, we finally get to the events at the beginning of Dragon Ball, and we get our first glimpses of how this familiar story will be altered by the presence of Vegeta.


	5. The Quest Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story of Dragon Ball finally begins, as Bulma Briefs embarks on her quest to find the Dragon Balls and meets an unlikely duo in the process.

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 5: The Quest Begins**

In the years that followed that fateful night, Vegeta never forgot Son Gohan's final words. The old man hadn't been particularly skilled or powerful, but he had dedicated his life to raising Kakarot, so the young prince had to give him credit for that. To that end, he dedicated himself to bringing up the boy as best he could.

Over the next few years, Vegeta took over the responsibility of raising Kakarot as a proper Saiyan. To his irritation, the boy seemed to be stuck on going by the name of Goku, although he didn't have any objections to Vegeta's insistence on calling him by his proper Saiyan name, and was happy to respond to both. The boy fulfilled his expectations in every other regard, though, growing in strength under the prince's tutelage. Kakarot certainly seemed to be a gifted fighter, although the finer points of martial arts would need to wait until he was older.

Vegeta himself continued training, growing stronger over time. While his power did improve significantly as a simple result of his body maturing into the physique of a young adult, his training didn't achieve nearly as much of a gain as he'd hoped, mainly due to Earth's much lighter gravity and a total lack of challenging opponents. Still, he pushed himself the best he could.

Over time, the days seemed to blur together. Days, weeks, months, all passed without any particular incident. Both Saiyans grew older, training, hunting, and eating, without anything particularly eventful taking place.

And, in this fashion, nine years wore away.

* * *

_Mount Paozu, Planet Earth_

_Age 749_

Bulma Briefs, heiress to the worldwide Capsule Corporation, sped down the mountain road, her Turbo-model hovercar being pushed to its limits as she enjoyed the rush of wind in her face. She glanced down at the portable radar unit that was resting on the dashboard, double-checking how close she was to the small golden blip on the screen.

_Not far now_ , she realized with a grin. _Only five more kilometers, and then I'll have the next one._ She looked at her belt to examine the two gleaming orange stone spheres that she carried, nestled safely in a mesh pouch on her belt, before checking the radar again.

Unfortunately, she was so focused on the radar that she didn't notice the small figure crossing the road in front of her until it was too late for her to do anything about it.

WHAM!

Bulma screamed, her car bouncing wildly and veering off the road as it slammed into the figure, sending them flying. The car skilled to a halt on the side of the road, and she looked back, to see the figure – a young boy with spiky dark hair, who'd been carrying a large fish of some kind – lying sprawled in the middle of the road, facedown.

"Oh, my god!" Bulma shrieked, her eyes wide in shock, almost hyperventilating. She jumped out of the car and rushed over to the fallen kid, but was relieved to see him already sitting up. To her surprise, he didn't seem to be injured in the least. _Wait, what?_ She hurried forwards, staring at him in shock. "Oh! Um… are you okay?"

The kid dusted himself up, hopping to his feet. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at her, frowning. "Who are you?"

"Oh, my name's Bulma," she replied with a smile. "What's yours?"

"I'm Goku," the kid said with a cheerful grin. He paused. "Wait… Bulma? Isn't that a word for underwear?"

Bulma promptly flushed red. "Oh, shut up! I didn't _pick_ it!" she snapped.

Goku giggled, then glanced past her at the stopped hovercar. "What's that?" he inquired, pointing to it.

"That?" Bulma frowned, turning and looking at the vehicle. "That's my car."

" _That's_ a car?" Goku's eyes widened, and he looked back to Bulma. "Wait… are you from _civilization_?"

Bulma stared at him, nonplussed. "Uh… I mean, yeah? Have you never seen a car before?"

"Whoa!" Goku grinned. "No, I haven't! Vegeta told me about stuff like that, but I've never seen one before." He stared at her for another moment, and a puzzled expression appeared on his face. "Hang on… you don't really look like me. There's something… different about you."

Bulma stared at him. "Well, I mean… yeah? I'm a girl. Haven't you ever seen a girl before?"

Goku's eyes went wide. "Oh, that's it! No, actually! I've never even seen another human _being_ before!" He rubbed his chin contemplatively. "Well, except for my grandpa, and Vegeta. Although he's a Saiyan, so I guess that doesn't count."

Bulma frowned. _What's he talking about?_ She was about to speak up, when Goku exclaimed, "Oh, wow! You have one of those too?" She looked up with a start, to realize that he was pointing at the small mesh pouch on her belt where the two orange spheres rested. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, you have _two_ of those? That's so cool!"

"These?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "You know what these are?"

Goku blinked. "Nah, not really, but I have one at home." His eyes sparkled. "Wanna see it? My house isn't far from here. Plus, I bet Vegeta would love to meet you!"

Bulma stared at him, considering her options, and then shrugged. "All right, why not?" _If he's really got the Dragon Ball, perfect!_

"Okay, let's go! Follow me!" The boy grinned, snatched up his fish again and raced off down the road. To her astonishment, he moved incredibly fast, speeding away in great leaps and bounds.

"Wait!" Despite her amazement, Bulma ran for her car, jumping back in and barreling down the road after the boy. Despite the vehicle's speed, she could barely keep him in her sights, until they burst into a large, open clearing and skidded to a halt in front of a small house.

As Bulma climbed out of the car, Goku deposited the fish off to the side and waved to her. "Come on, it's in here!" he called eagerly, beckoning her towards the front door.

"Right," Bulma replied, heading towards the house. As she approached, however, the front door opened, and she stopped short, eyes wide in surprise.

Standing in the front doorway was a muscular young man, wearing rough brown clothing that looked as if it had been handmade. He was of average height, about five-and-a-half feet tall, with pale skin, a handsome, chiseled face, and jet-black hair that was spiked up in a flame-like shape. His dark eyes were locked on her with an intensity that put her back on her heels.

"Oh, hey, Vegeta!" Goku called out happily as he scampered up to the front door. "I found a human! Her name's Bulma, and she's got two of those orange ball-thingies like the one Grandpa had!"

The young man – Vegeta – raised an eyebrow as he leaned casually against the doorframe. "Really," he drawled. His voice, a rough baritone, sent a chill down her spine, as he looked her up and down. "Well, then… what exactly are you doing here, human?"

_Human?_ Bulma gulped, averting her eyes; this guy might be gorgeous, but he was giving off a thoroughly unnerving vibe; she swore she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. "I…" She coughed, rubbing her neck nervously. "I was looking for… one of these." She fumbled with the pouch on her belt, removing the two orange spheres she'd been carrying and holding them up. "They're called Dragon Balls. Goku told me you had one?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, considering the human girl before him. She certainly seemed interesting, and it was nice to see another person after all the years he'd spent here with only Kakarot for company. The bright blue color of her hair was particularly eye-catching. He did recognize the orange stone balls she was carrying, though, as he'd seen one just like them among Gohan's possessions. However, if they were important, he wanted to know why.

"Well, what exactly are these 'Dragon Balls'?" he questioned. "And why are you looking for them?"

Bulma froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond. After a moment, though, she decided it would probably be best just to come clean in this case. If Goku was any indication, these two didn't seem like the kind of people who would do anything untoward, although the taller, handsome one did seem rather intimidating. "Well... they're the basis for an old legend I've heard. Supposedly, there are only seven of these things in existence, each with a different number of stars." She held up the two Dragon Balls in her hands; one of them had two reddish-orange stars, while the other had five, standing out distinctly against the golden-orange glow of the marble spheres. "I found this one in my father's storage facility, and this one in a cave in the northern mountains," she explained, indicating the two-star and the five-star in turn. "The legend says that when you gather all seven of them together, you can use them to summon the Eternal Dragon Shenron. Once you do that, he'll use his magical powers to grant you any one wish."

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before he frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "Forgive me if I don't believe you. How do you know this legend is true?"

Bulma considered. "Well, I did a lot of research on it after I found the first one, before I set out to look for the rest. The legend's been corroborated in a lot of old stories that talk about mystical artifacts and that sort of thing. Plus, I was able to build a radar system that zeroes in on the specific type of electromagnetic radiation generated by the Dragon Balls. I used it to start tracking them, which is how I found the second one. Then I found the next closest one, I followed the signal here, and that's when I ran into you." She chuckled, somewhat nervously, as she glanced at Goku. "Literally, I guess."

Goku snickered a little in response. "So, you're collectin' these Dragon Ball things?" he piped up. "You want to make a wish on them?"

Bulma smiled, a little nervously. "I do, yeah."

Vegeta stepped forward, examining the two Dragon Balls in her hands. "So, you're saying that you can have _any_ wish granted by using these things?" he asked. "What exactly are you planning on wishing for, then?"

Bulma's eyes widened, and she flushed. "Well, to be honest, I…" She averted her eyes, her mind racing as she tried to come up with something to say. She couldn't very well tell someone like _this_ what she really wanted to wish for; he'd probably just laugh in her face if she admitted that she wanted to wish for the perfect boyfriend. "I'm not sure yet," she claimed, hoping that he wouldn't see through the excuse.

To her relief, Vegeta studied her for a moment, then grunted noncommittally, glancing away. "So, you're just here to ask if you can have our Dragon Ball?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Bulma smiled. "So… would you mind?" An idea struck her. "Actually… you two could come with me to find the rest of them as well, if you'd like."

Goku blinked, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "You want us to come with you?"

"Sure!" Bulma smiled. "I could use some help tracking the other Dragon Balls down, and you both seem pretty…" Her gaze was drawn, almost involuntarily, back to Vegeta (and particularly to his well-muscled arms and torso), and she found herself blushing involuntarily. "…strong."

"So, we'd go looking for them? Like an adventure?" Goku was hopping up and down. "That sounds awesome! Vegeta, can we go too, please, please, please?"

Vegeta contemplated the offer. It certainly sounded intriguing, not to mention that he'd finally get a chance to see more of this planet. And if these Dragon Balls were really as powerful as this girl claimed, then this could be vitally important for him. If he could really get any wish he wanted… maybe this "dragon" could help him find out what had happened to his people. At the very least, that would be worth the trip.

"Very well," he agreed, nodding. Then he stepped forwards, his dark eyes flashing as they locked on the human girl's bright blue irises. She took a step back, inhaling sharply in surprise as he approached her. "But keep this in mind, girl. If you play me false, I will not hesitate to end you. Do you understand?"

Bulma paled noticeably, but she nodded. "I… yeah, I understand."

Vegeta's lips curved in a smirk. "Good. In that case, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." He glanced to Goku. "Kakarot, grab the Dragon Ball in the house, and get anything that you'd like to bring with you." He glanced to Bulma. "You said there are seven of these things, so that leaves four more. Do you know where we need to go to find the next one?"

Bulma nodded, checking the Dragon Radar until it beeped in confirmation. "Yeah, the next one's quite a few miles from here, but I have the location. We can go as soon as you guys are ready."

Vegeta grinned. "Perfect. Then let's get moving. There's no time to waste."

Bulma gulped. _I really hope I don't regret this._

Together, the unlikely trio started towards the house, beginning the first steps of a journey that would change their lives forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter we've gotten started on the beginning of Dragon Ball, as well as the introduction of Bulma to the story. As we've seen, her attitude has definitely been shifted by the presence of Vegeta, and hopefully it's also clearer on how Goku has been shaped by his upbringing under Vegeta. We'll get to see a lot more of their dynamic, and that of the trio, in the upcoming chapters.
> 
> Next chapter, we'll get to meet several other important Dragon Ball characters, and see how Vegeta's presence affects the future development of this story arc.


	6. Warriors and Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta, Goku and Bulma begin their search for the remaining Dragon Balls, but their quest is diverted by an encounter with an old friend and a visit to a town that's under siege by a monster.

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 6: Warriors and Monsters**

Vegeta reclined in the passenger's seat of the hovercar, tilting his head back as he felt the wind whipping at his face. He took a deep breath, smelling a faint tinge of salt that told him the ocean must be getting close, and nodded in satisfaction. A moment later, however, he frowned in annoyance as he heard Goku's high-pitched voice yapping about something, audible even over the wind and the drone of the engine.

_Why did I have to get stuck on a quest with these two idiots?_ the young prince thought sourly to himself.

After he, Kakarot, and the human girl Bulma had left their home on Mount Paozu, they'd headed off towards the location of the next Dragon Ball, as indicated by the girl's "Dragon Radar". Their journey had been uneventful so far, with a minor exception when a flying dinosaur had attempted to carry the girl off. Vegeta had quickly dealt with the creature, which actually turned out to be quite tasty once he'd carved it up and cooked it over their campfire. After that, the trio had continued on their way. They'd made some progress, but their mission had been delayed yet again when Kakarot had stumbled across a giant turtle that, somehow, knew how to speak. The reptile had explained that it had gotten lost and was trying to find its way back to the sea, so the young Saiyan had decided to take it upon himself to return it to its home.

Which had led to their current situation, driving along the road towards the nearby ocean. Vegeta and the girl Bulma were riding in her hovercar, while Kakarot was carrying the turtle on his back and running along beside the car. Vegeta had initially been doing the same, but he'd eventually decided that jogging along the road the whole way like a commoner was unbecoming of him, and decided to ride in the vehicle instead.

Vegeta yawned, stretching his arms over his head and clicking his neck. His keen ears picked up an abrupt inhalation from Bulma, and he chuckled inwardly. He'd pretended not to notice her sneaking glances at him throughout their walk, but his reflexes were much faster than hers, so he couldn't miss it.

As luck would have it, she chose that moment to speak up, raising her voice as she called out so that he could hear her over the engine. "So… Vegeta, right?"

"Yes, that is my name," Vegeta deadpanned, not even sparing a glance in her direction.

"Well, I was just thinking about something." Bulma looked over at him. "When we first met, you called me 'human'. Like…" She paused. "Like you're _not_ human. So I was wondering what you meant by that."

Vegeta came to a halt, turning to face her and raising an eyebrow. "I should think it's rather self-explanatory." With a single flick, his tail unwrapped itself around his waist and waved back and forth, drawing a startled gasp from Bulma.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, glancing in shock at his tail. "You… you have a _tail?!_ "

"Obviously," Vegeta deadpanned. "So does Kakarot: I'm surprised you didn't notice." He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder, indicating the younger Saiyan, who was still running alongside the car.

"So, you two really aren't human? Then what…" Her eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying you're, like… an _alien_ or something?"

Vegeta snorted in amusement. "Oh, how astute you are," he deadpanned. "Truly, you must be a credit to your species."

The girl promptly rounded on him, scowling. "Hey!"

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta shrugged. "But to answer your question: yes, Kakarot and I are not from this planet. We're members of a species called the Saiyans."

Bulma's eyes widened in astonishment. "That's amazing! I mean, I guess I believed that there had to be other life forms out there somewhere, but I never thought I'd actually meet one! I've gotta say, though, I wasn't expecting an alien to, um…" _To look like you_ , she thought, but she blushed as soon as the thought entered her mind, so she fought it down. "To… look so much like a human. I'd always thought aliens would be more like insects or reptiles, or maybe some weird creatures with lots of tentacles and stuff."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Well, there are plenty of species like that out there, but a lot of them resemble humans or Saiyans. Humanoid species are fairly common, actually."

"Huh." Bulma frowned. "That's interesting. I wonder why – _oh crap!_ " She slammed on the brakes, sending the car skidding to a halt. Vegeta was almost flung headfirst into the dashboard, but threw out a hand to stop himself; unfortunately, this left a hand-shaped dent in the metal, as he'd used a bit too much force. The car fishtailed, almost swerving off the road, and finally came to a stop when they struck a tree.

"Okay, what the _hell_ was that for?" Vegeta snarled. Hearing an unfamiliar, growling voice, he turned to see that Goku, still carrying the turtle over his head, was now facing off with a strange-looking individual in the middle of the road. The figure resembled a bear (albeit with orange fur), but the fur on his head was spiked up in a mohawk, and he wore samurai-style armor, including a katana.

"Oh, for god's sake," Vegeta muttered, hopping out of the car and starting over towards Goku.

"Hand over the turtle," the bear growled, brandishing his sword threateningly, "and no one gets hurt."

"No way!" Goku retorted, setting the turtle down so he could properly enter a fighting stance. "If you want him, you gotta go through me!"

The bear growled, raising the sword. "If I must, then I –"

"Oh, shut up!" a second voice snapped, a moment before a vicious impact slammed into the bear, hurling him off the road and into the forest on the other side. He bounced off a tree with a jarring _thud_ , and hit the ground in an unconscious heap.

Vegeta landed lightly beside Goku, lowering his leg from its kicking position. "Well, that was irritating," he remarked dryly. "Shall we continue?"

"Awww, man!" Goku complained. "I wanted to fight that guy!"

"Then you should have been quicker about it," Vegeta retorted. "There's a time and place for bantering with an opponent, but not when they're as pathetic as that creature. When an enemy is beneath you, they're usually not worth your time. Keep that in mind, Kakarot." With that, he turned and strode back towards where Bulma was examining the damage to the car.

* * *

"I can't believe the car's broken," Bulma muttered to herself as the trio made their way through the forest towards the ocean. "My dad's gonna kill me!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Your father takes his machinery that seriously?" he questioned. "My father wouldn't kill me unless I gave him a better reason than that."

"What?" Bulma frowned. "Oh, no, it's just an expression. I just meant he's probably going to be a bit disappointed in me." She grinned. "My dad's too nice to ever kill anybody, to be honest."

"Ah, I see." Vegeta shrugged. "For a second there, I thought you Earthlings might be as disciplined as the Saiyans after all. My mistake."

"Oh." Bulma was quiet for a moment, before her eyes widened in indignation. "Wait, what do you mean by that?!"

"Guys!" Goku called out in excitement, interrupting them. "C'mon, we're here!" Without waiting for a response, he dashed forward through the last of the trees, emerging onto a sandy beach. Hurrying down to the water's edge, he set the turtle down on the soft, damp sand. "There ya go!" he said cheerfully, stepping back.

"Oh, thank you so much!" the turtle replied in his nasal voice. He turned his head, taking in Vegeta and Bulma as they strolled down to join Goku. "If you three will wait here for a while, I can go find my master. He'll be sure to reward you for helping me out."

"A reward?" Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good to me! Sure, we'll wait here until you get back."

"Just be quick about it," Vegeta snapped. "I don't plan on sitting around here for a second longer than I have to."

"I assure you, my master is a very wise man; I'm sure he'll be able to find a suitable reward for you." With that, Turtle turned and scrambled into the water. Once submerged, he swam away with surprising speed, quickly disappearing into the distance.

* * *

Two hours later, quiet had settled on the beach. Vegeta had found a shady spot in the shadow of a large rock and was presently lying back and relaxing; the cool sea air was reminiscent of the first year or so that he'd spent on this planet, so he found it quite nice. Goku was practicing some martial arts moves that Vegeta had shown him, while Bulma was sitting on a rock, checking her Dragon Radar to determine where the next closest Dragon Ball could be found.

"Where the hell is he?" Vegeta muttered, rubbing his eyes. "It's been too damn long!" He scowled. "That 'reward' he promised had better be worth the wait."

Bulma barely heard him, as she was focused on the screen of her "Dragon Radar." As she rotated it in an arc, scanning the area, she paused, a frown spreading across her face. "Huh… that's weird."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her. "What?"

"Well…" Bulma looked up, out at the sea, then back down at the radar. "According to this, there's a Dragon Ball out there somewhere. I've been detecting its signal for a while, figured it was on one of the islands out there. But in the last hour or so… somehow, it's gotten a lot closer. It's moving towards us."

"Really?" Vegeta sat up, rising and coming over to where she was seated. "That would mean someone else has it."

"Hey, guys!" Goku's voice echoed as he jogged up the beach towards them, skidding to a halt in a spray of sand. "He's coming back; I can see him out on the ocean! And…" He frowned, scratching his head. "It's weird, but I think there's somebody _ridin'_ him."

Bulma and Vegeta followed the younger Saiyan back down to the water's edge. By now, both of them could see the approaching figure as well: an elderly man, perched on the back of the giant turtle. Bulma and Goku had no idea who he was; Vegeta, however, was astonished by the fact that he recognized him instantly.

" _Roshi?!_ " he exclaimed incredulously.

Sure enough, the Turtle Hermit was approaching the shore, reclined leisurely on Turtle's back. As soon as he'd gotten close enough, he vaulted over the breaking waves and landed lightly on the damp sand. "So, you three are the ones who helped my Turtle out, eh?" he asked. Spotting Vegeta, he stopped short, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses. "Wait… _Vegeta?_ Is that you?"

"Obviously," the Saiyan prince replied with a grin. He was somewhat pleased to see Roshi again, as the old martial artist had been quite possibly the only inhabitant of this planet who had earned something approaching respect from the prince.

Bulma turned to Vegeta with a frown. "Wait, you _know_ this guy?"

"Well, of course!" Roshi said cheerfully. "Vegeta here was the best student I've had in the last hundred years!"

Goku whipped around. "Wait, _this_ is Master Roshi?!" he questioned excitedly. "The guy you told me about, the first person you met when you landed here?"

"That's right." Vegeta glanced back to Roshi. "Well, this is a surprise: I hadn't expected to see you here. Though, in retrospect, I suppose the giant turtle should have tipped me off."

Roshi laughed. "I've missed you, kid. It's been way too long!" He looked Goku and Bulma over, his gaze brought to a halt when he noticed Goku's tail and spiky hair. "Hang on… is that –"

"Kakarot, yes," Vegeta replied with a smirk. "I found him, just as promised. He was living with some old man… Gohan, he called himself." He frowned. "He said he knew you, actually."

Roshi's eyes widened. "Gohan? Yes, I know him! I trained him many years ago." He smiled as the memories of their many years together came back to him. "How is he?"

Vegeta and Goku exchanged a glance: Goku's face was saddened as he remembered the loss of his adoptive grandfather. "Unfortunately… he died, a few years ago," Vegeta answered, something approaching regret in his tone.

"Oh… I see." Roshi sighed, lowering his head in sorrow. "That's a shame. I'd been hoping to see him again someday." After a moment of remembrance, he shook off his gloom, returning his attention to the trio of young people in front of him. "So, not that I'm not glad to see you, Vegeta, but what brings you three to these parts?" He glanced over to Bulma, stifling a twitch of his nose at the realization that the third member of their group was an attractive young woman.

"Well," Bulma spoke up, "we're on… sort of a quest, I guess?" She smiled, a bit self-consciously. "We're looking for a set of enchanted objects called Dragon Balls." The signature she'd detected earlier came to mind, so she double-checked her radar. Sure enough, the new Dragon Ball reading that she had detected was now right on top of them. "You have one, don't you?" she asked, looking up at Roshi.

"A Dragon Ball?" Roshi raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do." He took hold of a cord around his neck and pulled, producing a Dragon Ball that had been hanging around his neck, concealed under the collar of his Hawaiian shirt.

"Oh, perfect!" Bulma smiled happily. "So... would you mind giving it to us? We're collecting them, so we need to gather all seven, and I'd take it as a personal favor if you'd help us out."

Roshi chuckled. "Well, of course. I'd be happy to give it to you…" A somewhat glazed look came into his eyes as he looked Bulma up and down. "Ah… in exchange, perhaps, for a little…"

"A little _what?_ " Vegeta interrupted, his arms folded. "I don't have time for your driveling, old man! Are you going to give us the Dragon Ball or not?"

"Gah!" Roshi flinched, having momentarily forgotten that Vegeta was there. _Hmmm… I mean, maybe I shouldn't do this in front of him… but she_ is _gorgeous… oh, come on, Roshi! You're supposed to be this boy's master, and considering how strong he is, it's best to set a good example for him._ Gulping, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Uh… never mind! Actually, since you were kind enough to help Turtle out, I guess I could throw this in with your reward. Least I can do, heheh." A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead as he handed the Dragon Ball to Bulma.

"Um… okay." Shrugging, Bulma placed the ball into the mesh bag that held the other three Dragon Balls they'd found. "Well, thanks! Was there anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Roshi answered with a more genuine smile. "In exchange for your helping Turtle, I _did_ have another reward in mind for the three of you." He raised one arm over his head, turning to face the ocean. " _Come to me, Nimbus!_ " he yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice ringing out over the beach.

A few seconds later, a small golden dot appeared on the horizon. It grew in size as it rapidly approached the shore, until it finally came to an abrupt halt directly in front of Roshi. This close, Vegeta could now see that it appeared to be a small cloud, although it was gold in color, rather than white like the normal clouds on this planet. It also seemed to be under Roshi's control, as it floated motionless at his side, occasionally rising or falling by a few inches.

"This," Roshi said with a proud grin as he turned to face the trio, "is the Nimbus Cloud. I received it as a reward for completing a great trial many years ago, and it's helped me many times since then. It can fly its rider to anywhere on the planet, without having to use any of their own energy or any mechanical contraptions to do so!" His grin faded, and he sighed. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me anymore, so I figured it might make a perfect reward for you. As long as one of you is worthy of it, anyway."

Vegeta frowned. "What do you mean, 'worthy'?"

"Well, the Nimbus was made using magic," Roshi explained. "The enchantment that was used to create it also means that only people who have a pure heart can ride it without falling off." He blushed. "Unfortunately, my heart seems to have become a little… less pure in recent years, so the cloud has stopped letting me ride it. However, you all seem like decent people, so it might work for one of you."

"Right." Bulma took a step forward, eyeing the cloud. Somewhat nervously, she placed one hand on top of the cloud, pushing down to test its strength… but instead, her hand passed straight through it. "Whoa," she breathed.

"Well, looks like you're not pure enough," Roshi remarked with a chuckle. As Bulma sputtered in indignation, he glanced over to his former student. "Vegeta?"

The Saiyan prince scoffed. "Oh, please. If the girl isn't 'pure' enough for this thing to accept her, then there's no chance in hell I'd be able to use it. And even if it did, I'd never lower myself to using some mystical trinket to fly; I can do that perfectly well on my own."

Roshi considered that for a moment, then nodded. "All right, then." He turned to the third member of the group, who'd been examining the enchanted cloud with fascination. "Ah… Kakarot, right? How about you?"

"It's Goku, actually," the Saiyan boy replied cheerfully. "And yeah, sure! Here, lemme try it out." With no hesitation, he backflipped into the air, landing squarely on top of the cloud. To the surprise of everyone present, he didn't fall through: instead, the cloud simply dipped slightly and then stabilized, now with Goku standing triumphantly atop it.

"All right! This is so cool!" Goku cheered, punching the air with one fist. He leaned forward, sending the cloud gliding across the beach, and tilted his body to one side, then the other, laughing as the cloud mirrored his movements by changing directions.

Roshi's mouth hung open for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "…Well, I guess that settles it," he managed. "All right then, ah… Goku… the Nimbus Cloud is yours. Take good care of it, and it'll always be there when you need it."

"Awesome!" Goku's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Thank you, sir!" He executed a somewhat clumsy bow – a bit of etiquette that he'd picked up from Vegeta over the years, as a way of showing respect.

"Quite a polite young man," Roshi remarked. "And so friendly, too!" He chuckled, glancing to Vegeta. "You're sure he's the same species as you?"

"He's brain-damaged," Vegeta replied sourly.

* * *

Some time later, the trio were ready to move on. As Bulma and Goku headed off down the beach, Roshi had kept Vegeta behind to ask him about the circumstances of Gohan's death. The Saiyan prince had explained what had happened quickly and succinctly, leaving out the gory details.

"Well, I suppose I'd better head home." Roshi stretched his arms over his head, cracking his neck, before looking down at his companion. "Ready to head back, Turtle?"

"Of course, sir," the reptile answered, crawling into the water.

Roshi nodded, following his friend to the water's edge, before he turned back to Vegeta. "Oh, before I go, I just wanted to tell you: I still have your spaceship on my island. It's safe and sound, waiting for you."

Vegeta grinned. "Perfect. Kakarot and I will be leaving this planet eventually, so I'll need that pod back when the time comes."

"Of course." Roshi considered. "Actually… once you three are done with this quest you're on, you should bring that Goku kid back to my place. I'd bet I could teach him some things that'll make him a better fighter."

"Hmmm." Vegeta appeared to be thinking that over for a moment; in reality, however, his decision had been made the moment Roshi had suggested the idea. He'd been planning to bring Kakarot back to Roshi's island for years now, ever since he'd first gone looking for him, but he hadn't wanted the younger Saiyan to grow up surrounded by humans, so he'd kept him isolated until Bulma had shown up. Still, Roshi had a point: the old man's training had been a valuable aid to Vegeta himself, both in learning new abilities and in adjusting to life on this planet. If he could do the same for Goku, help mold the brat into a real warrior, then Vegeta would definitely be willing to try it out. "All right. Once we've finished this damn quest, I'll bring him to your home so you can train him. Hopefully it won't take too long." Without further words of farewell, he promptly took to the air, blasting off after Goku and Bulma.

Roshi smiled to himself, watching his student's departure. "You'd better, Vegeta," he said softly. _Gohan's dead, and I won't live forever… so I think it's about time to start training the next generation. And those two seem like a good place to start._

* * *

Several days had passed since their meeting with Roshi, and Vegeta, Goku and Bulma were now approaching the next Dragon Ball. Bulma's radar had traced it to a small, isolated village: since her car was still damaged, however, they'd been forced to make the trek on foot.

"Hopefully, they'll have someplace where I can fix up the car," Bulma panted as she clambered over a fallen tree. "I'm good at a lot of things, but trekking through the woods for day after day is not one of them."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, easily hopping over the tree. "This Dragon Ball had better be there," he muttered.

Before long, Vegeta and Bulma emerged from the trees on the edge of the village. Vegeta dusted off his hands as he glanced up at the sky; sure enough, Goku quickly came into view, swooping down from the canopy atop the Nimbus cloud. "Hey, guys!" he called out cheerily as he landed. "I flew over the village a couple of times to check it out, but I can't see anybody."

Bulma looked around. "Huh. Yeah, he's right; the place looks deserted."

Vegeta frowned, reaching out with his ki-sensing ability as he looked around the village. He'd gotten fairly good with that ability over the years since Roshi had taught it to him, although he hadn't had much practice.

"No, it's not," he responded at length. "There are definitely people here, but I think they're all hiding inside the houses." His lip curled in a frown. "Frankly, I'd like to know why." Without waiting for the others, he headed straight for the nearest occupied building. Goku followed quickly behind him, while Bulma hung back nervously.

Reaching the door of the house, Vegeta knocked loudly on the door with one fist. "I know you're in there!" the Saiyan prince called out loudly, knowing that whoever was inside could hear him. "Open the door, or I'll open it for you." Several seconds passed without an answer, and he scowled. "Enough of this." Without hesitation, he took one step back and kicked the door with enough force to send it flying off its hinges. He stepped inside, looking around… and promptly ducked, his old combat reflexes kicking in as an axe swung through the space where his head had been a moment earlier. He flicked out one hand, releasing a _kiai_ that hurled his attacker backwards into the wall, their axe slipping from their hands. Without pausing, he caught the axe neatly by the handle, jumped across the room, and positioned the blade inches from his attacker's throat.

"Wait!" a hoarse voice cried out. "Please, don't kill me!"

Vegeta frowned, looking down at his attacker, an aging man with terror in his eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he snarled, his eyes narrowed in a glare. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"I'm sorry," the old man whimpered. "I just… I thought you were Oolong."

This statement was so unusual that Vegeta blinked in surprise, lowering the axe and taking a step back. "Oolong?" he asked, frowning. "Who the hell is Oolong?"

"He… he's a monster," the old man answered, groaning as he picked himself up, while still keeping a wary eye on Vegeta. "He can take on any form, and he's been terrorizing our village for several months now. He rampages through the village, destroys our homes, and he's been kidnapping our daughters one by one."

Vegeta considered that. "Interesting," he murmured. Perhaps this "monster" could provide him with a decent fight… though frankly, he doubted it.

"Vegeta!" Bulma's cry snapped him out of his thoughts, as she and Goku burst into the room. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Vegeta shot back tersely, immediately annoyed that the human girl had interrupted his questioning. "This old man claims there's a monster attacking this village."

"He calls himself Oolong the Terrible," the old man confirmed, nodding as he sank into a chair. "Again, I must apologize, sir. I meant you no harm, but I have more reason to fear Oolong than most: he wishes to take my own daughter as his next victim, so when you pounded on my door I thought you must be him."

"Oh, that's horrible!" Bulma's eyes were wide in sympathy as she hurried over to the man. "Well, sir, I assure you, we don't mean any harm to you or anyone else in this village."

"Well, that's quite good to hear. Anyone who comes to our village in peace is welcome." The old man smiled faintly, before shaking his head and changing the subject. "So, what brings the three of you here?"

"Well, we're actually looking for a mystical artifact that I think is in this village somewhere," Bulma explained. "It's called a Dragon Ball." She took one of the four they'd already acquired out of the bag on her belt, holding it up so the man could see it. "I'm pretty sure there's one of them in this village somewhere; it would look just like this one, except with a different number of stars."

While they had been talking, the rest of the old man's family had emerged into the front room. While they were understandably nervous at the sight of Vegeta – who, even though he had discarded the axe and was now leaning against the wall, still looked fairly intimidating – the presence of Goku and Bulma, neither of whom seemed threatening, was enough to reassure them that these strangers did not mean them harm. As Bulma finished her explanation, the old man's young daughter spoke up.

"I've seen one of those before," she said, looking down somewhat shyly as she pointed at the Dragon Ball in Bulma's hand.

Bulma spun around like a hunting dog on point, smiling eagerly. "Really? You have?"

"Yes, a woman who lives three houses down has one." The girl frowned. "I'm not sure if she'd just give it to you, though."

Bulma frowned, her enthusiasm dampened. "She's right… we need all of the Dragon Balls, but I assumed we'd find them all in the wilderness or whatever. I hadn't really figured out what we should do if one of them belonged to somebody. I mean, with Roshi, we got lucky and did him a big enough favor that he just gave his to us, but I'm not sure how we could do that for this woman." She considered. "Although, I _am_ the heiress for one of the biggest corporations on the planet, so I guess I could just buy it off her… although my dad might not be happy with me if I started throwing money around on this trip."

"Hmmm…" Goku appeared to be thinking the issue over, before an idea struck him; he grinned, looking up. "Well, how about this? If Vegeta and I fight this Oolong monster guy and beat him up, to get all the girls he's kidnapped back and make sure he'll leave this village alone, I bet that lady would be happy to give us the Dragon Ball in exchange."

"That…" Bulma's eyes widened. "That might actually work! Good idea, Goku!" She paused. "But… are you sure you can beat him? I mean, the guy's supposed to be some kind of monster, right?"

"That won't be a problem," Vegeta cut in. A faint smirk had formed on the prince's face. "An excellent idea, Kakarot. There's nothing on this planet, human or otherwise, that can defeat the two of us. If this so-called monster was powerful enough to be a threat to me, I'd be able to sense him from here." He straightened up, flexing his arms, and glanced at the old man. "You said he plans to take your daughter as his next captive? Did he give any indication as to when he'll be back?"

"At high noon, he said," the old man answered. "So, he should be here within an hour or two."

"Right!" Bulma started pacing, her mind spinning as she tried to come up with a plan. "Okay, how should we do this? Even once you two defeat Oolong, we'll need to find out where he's been keeping the girls he's abducted. Hmmm…" An idea occurred to her. "Maybe we could dress one of you two up as her, so he'll take you back to his lair, and then you can beat him up and rescue the girls?"

"Not a bad idea," Vegeta deadpanned. "But I have a better one." He cracked his knuckles. "We'll just wait until he gets here, and then Kakarot and I will pummel him until we _make_ him tell us where his prisoners are."

Bulma thought that over for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, that works too."

* * *

Vegeta and Goku stood out in the middle of the village, waiting for the infamous "monster" to make his entrance. Bulma and the villagers were safely concealed within the surrounding houses; they had explained the situation, with assistance from the family, and had convinced the other villagers that their plan would work.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of waiting, the sound of heavy, crashing footfalls began to echo from the surrounding forest. Vegeta tensed unconsciously, waiting for the creature to emerge; he hadn't had a real battle for many years, and he was privately hoping that this monster was the real deal just so he could have a decent fight. Goku, for his part, seemed to be both nervous and excited, as he'd never had a real battle in his life until now. Sparring with Vegeta was fun, but the prospect of an actual fight had his Saiyan instincts buzzing.

As the two Saiyans readied themselves, their opponent emerged from the trees.

"Oolong the Terrible" was not quite what Vegeta had expected. He was certainly physically imposing: about twenty feet in height and reddish in coloration, with a prominent piglike snout instead of a human mouth and nose. The unusual part, however, was that Vegeta could barely detect any energy at all from him. Either he was a lot weaker than he looked, or he had some way of concealing his energy. Since Vegeta didn't know much about Oolong, he had to assume that both options were possible, but he didn't feel threatened either way.

"Where's my newest bride?" the giant boomed, coming to a stop in front of Goku and Vegeta and glaring down at them.

"Sorry, but your wedding's been canceled," Vegeta shot back, folding his arms nonchalantly.

"Yeah!" Goku seconded, twirling his Power Pole, a red wooden staff that Gohan had owned, in a two-handed grip. Vegeta had no use for the thing, so he'd let Goku have it, and the boy had become quite proficient with it. "You won't be kidnapping anyone else!" he called out confidently.

"Oh, really?" Oolong chuckled. "So you two think you're going to fight me?" Inwardly, however, he was much less confident than he appeared. The main reason he'd been so successful with this arrangement thus far was that everyone in the village had been too afraid of him to try anything, as, despite his transforming ability, he wasn't particularly strong no matter what form he was in. Also, since his transformations came with a five-minute time limit, he was usually just in and out of the village, never there for more than a couple of minutes at a time. If this took too long, he would revert to his normal form automatically, and if that happened he wouldn't be able to scare these people anymore. Whatever the case, he needed to wrap this up fast.

"That's correct," Vegeta retorted with a grin. He'd been feeling out Oolong's energy signature, and he was fairly certain that this so-called menace was far too weak to threaten him. He was a little disappointed, but since he knew, that meant he didn't need to dirty his hands on this trash. "Kakarot? He's all yours." He stepped back, content to simply observe this fight. It would be a good way to check up on the younger Saiyan's progress, too.

Goku grinned eagerly. "Okay, Vegeta! I won't let you down!" He turned to face Oolong, holding his staff in a ready stance. "Come on!" he shouted defiantly. "I'm not scared of you."

_Oh, man!_ Oolong's eyes widened slightly, the only sign of his inner panic. _These guys are serious. I could be in big trouble here!_ Forcing down his fear, he clenched his fists, trying to reassure himself with the massive size of his transformed state. Hopefully, these guys were weak enough that he could overpower them in this form; if he could do that, then things should go back to normal. _All right. No choice, I guess._ "All right, then," he growled, keeping his voice deep. "Come at me, little man!"

"You got it!" Goku shot back, charging at Oolong. As soon as he got close, he slammed one end of the Power Pole into the soil and yelled, "Power Pole – _extend!_ " The staff instantly grew, propelling him high into the air until he was level with Oolong's head. The giant's clumsy swipe missed him completely, and Goku pushed off the ground with his staff, leaping through the air and whirling the staff in an arc, catching Oolong on the side of the head. The blow snapped Oolong's head to the side, knocking him sprawling and sending his massive body crashing to the ground. He lay there, groaning as he reached up to rub at the rapidly-forming bruise on the side of his head.

Goku landed lightly on his feet, spinning the staff as it shrank back down to normal size. As he advanced towards Oolong, intending to continue the battle, he noticed something odd. Instead of getting back up, the monster was still rolling around, holding his head and groaning in pain.

Goku frowned. "I didn't hit him _that_ hard…" he complained. "C'mon, are you gonna keep fighting me or what?"

_What… the hell…_ Oolong panted, rubbing his head as he attempted to deal with the throbbing pain shooting through it. _How the hell… is he that strong?!_ To his dismay, he felt his transformation slipping. _No… can't… hold it –_ With a loud POP, a cloud of smoke billowed up, enveloping him, before fading to reveal a different figure in the giant's place: a small, humanoid pig wearing army fatigues, still rubbing at a bruise in the same place where Goku had kicked the giant.

Goku stopped short, scratching his head. "Wait… what?" _I mean, they did say he could transform, right? So, I guess… this is what he really looks like?_

Oolong opened his eyes, looking down at himself. "No…" he groaned. "Damn it, I've gotta get out of here!" He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his head, and turned to run for the trees –

– and found himself staring directly into Vegeta's cold eyes as the Saiyan prince materialized in front of him, snatching him up by the throat and effortlessly holding him in the air with one hand. "Nice try," he snapped, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the terrified shapeshifter. "Now, I'll ask you one time: where are the girls you abducted from this village?"

"T-they're… they're fine!" Oolong stammered. "They're all safe in a cave near here. I can take you there… just, please, don't kill me!"

Vegeta seemed to be thinking that over… but then he casually tossed Oolong to the ground. "All right. But if they're not all there and unharmed, I _will_ kill you. Just so we're clear." His voice was almost conversational, but there was a hard edge to it that left Oolong with no doubt that his threat was genuine.

Shivering, Oolong nodded. "R-Right."

* * *

It took less than an hour for Goku and Vegeta to retrieve all of the kidnapped girls from Oolong's cave lair. Fortunately, as the shapeshifter had promised, all of his prisoners were safe and unhurt; considering Oolong's true, fearful nature, it was unlikely that he would have done anything to harm them.

Sure enough, with all the hostages safely returned, and the threat to the village eliminated, the woman who possessed a Dragon Ball – the six-star, as it turned out – was happy to hand it over as a reward for their help. With that done, the trio were preparing to leave.

"So, what're you planning to do with Oolong?" Goku inquired, indicating the shapeshifter, who remained tied to a post in the center of the village, under guard.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," the man whose house they'd entered first answered. "We've never had a situation like this before, so we'll have to decide what we want to do with him."

"Well, if you don't mind, I have an idea," Bulma spoke up. All eyes turned to her, as she nodded towards the downcast shapeshifter. "We could take him with us."

Vegeta frowned. "We could _what?_ "

"Well, with that ability of his, he could be useful in helping us find the other Dragon Balls. And if he got out of line, you or Goku could just beat him again; it's not like he'd be a threat to either of you." She grinned, pleased with herself for coming up with a straightforward solution. "This way, the people of this village would never have to see him again, but they also wouldn't have to figure out what to do with him."

The old man considered that. "Very well," he agreed. "As long as you are sure you can keep Oolong from causing any trouble, then you are welcome to take him with you."

"No problem!" Bulma smiled, ignoring Vegeta's glare. The Saiyan prince turned and stalked off, muttering to himself irritably. For whatever reason, he could never win an argument with the blue-haired girl, and it was really starting to annoy him.

_We had better find the rest of these damn Dragon Balls soon,_ he thought to himself. _Because if I'm forced to spend much more time with that girl, I may have to kill her._


	7. Desert Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group's journey across a desert is interrupted when they encounter the infamous bandit who dwells there.

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 7: Desert Wolf**

"Man, I'm starving!" Oolong complained. "Can we stop and have something to eat?"

"Oh, sure, why not?" Vegeta shot back with a glare. "Here's an idea: how about a nice side of _bacon_?" That shut the shapeshifter up immediately, as he promptly flinched away and hid behind Goku. Vegeta snorted, turning back to face the barren landscape that spread out before them.

It had been almost a week since the group had left the village, and things had become more complicated. They'd been able to save some time by using a boat that Bulma had been keeping in one of her capsules, until it ran out of gas, forcing them to leave the river and travel by land again. Unfortunately, the land in question happened to be a rather expansive desert, which had made their journey a bit more difficult.

Vegeta, for his part, found it thoroughly annoying. He knew that if he and Kakarot were making this journey on their own, they could easily fly across the entirety of the desert in an hour or two and be on their way to the next Dragon Ball. But since they had Bulma and Oolong with them, they were forced to make the trek on foot, which was continually aggravating.

"God, this heat is ridiculous!" Bulma groaned, fanning herself in an effort to cool down. "As much as I hate to agree with the pig, I think we ought to stop soon."

"Hey!" Oolong squawked indignantly.

"Oh, shut up." Bulma sighed, turning to Vegeta. "Sunset's in a few hours; we'll be better off traveling at night, when it's cooler."

"Good idea!" Goku seconded, wiping sweat off his forehead with one of his wristbands.

Vegeta sighed. "Fine, whatever." He nodded towards a group of tall rock formations a short distance away. "We can make camp there."

Shortly after they'd set up camp, with Bulma having decided to take a nap inside the capsule house she'd brought, Vegeta decided to use the downtime to give Goku a quick training session. He'd already informed the younger Saiyan that after they had gotten their wish on the Dragon Balls, they would be going to Roshi's home so that Goku could train under him as Vegeta had years earlier. Goku was, of course, ecstatic about the prospect of learning more fighting skills and techniques, so Vegeta planned to take some time to sharpen him up a bit.

"Right," the Saiyan prince intoned as he raised his guard, eyes focused on Goku. "Come at me, Kakarot. Show me what you've got."

"Right!" Goku kept his Power Pole slung over his back for the moment, deciding to start out with the basics. Entering one of the stances Vegeta had taught him, he readied himself.

Seated nearby, Oolong looked on with interest, leaning back against a rock in the shade. He didn't have anything better to do, so he'd decided to observe their sparring session.

A gust of wind echoed among the rocks. As if that had been the starting gun, Goku lunged, darting straight for Vegeta. Just before he reached the taller Saiyan, he kicked off the ground and vaulted straight up, throwing a punch at head height instead of going low as most people would have expected given his small size.

Vegeta, of course, wasn't most people. He easily ducked the punch, rising into a swift uppercut that flipped Goku backwards, but the younger boy didn't give up, using the momentum to add speed to his own returning kick. The blow slammed against Vegeta's blocking arm with a solid impact, and Goku pushed off the block like a springboard, jumping back to gain some distance before charging in again. This time, he went low, aiming for Vegeta's ankles, but his attack was dodged without much effort, the prince hopping over his low kick before swinging a lazy one-handed chop that Goku barely dodged.

Rolling away, Goku snatched the Power Pole off his back, extending it as he charged back in. He swung left, then right, the pole blurring as he launched several rapid strikes, but Vegeta casually dodged each of the attacks, moving the minimum distance necessary to avoid each of them, before winding Goku with an open-palmed strike to the chest that send him skidding backwards.

"Come on, Kakarot, are you even trying?" the older Saiyan mocked, grinning. He was inwardly impressed – the younger boy's strength and speed had improved since the last time they'd done this – but he wasn't going to tell Goku that, of course. As a teacher, Vegeta wasn't the type for coddling: any compliments he ever gave would have to be earned. Fortunately, Goku understood that, so he thrived under the prince's tutelage.

With a grin, Goku straightened up, catching his breath, and twirled the Power Pole, readying himself for their next clash. "Come on!" he called out, before charging again. Vegeta did the same, his fist coming far too fast for Goku to dodge, aiming to knock him away again –

And it stopped, less than a foot away, as both Saiyans skidded to a halt. Vegeta's head snapping around, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he stared off into the distance. Goku turned as well, his eyes widening as he felt the same disturbance. His ability to sense ki wasn't quite as advanced as Vegeta's yet, but he could still feel what had startled the older Saiyan.

Oolong, who had been watching the fight in amazement, was caught off-guard by the sudden pause in the battle. "Um… you guys okay?" he called from his position in the shade. "Something wrong?"

Vegeta didn't turn. "Someone's coming," he murmured. "Someone quite strong, by human standards." He wasn't exaggerating; the approaching energy signature wasn't as large as Roshi's, but it was much greater than that of Bulma or any normal human. And whoever this mysterious person might be, they were approaching the campsite at a fairly high speed.

Before long, a small cloud of dust became visible on the horizon. After a few minutes, the source of the disturbance became clear: a hovercar, similar to the one Bulma had been using before it was damaged. The car pulled up a short distance away from where Vegeta, Goku and Oolong stood waiting, and its driver disembarked, striding towards them.

He was clearly a martial artist of some sort, as his muscular physique and relatively-high power level indicated, but his clothing was quite odd: a green shirt, orange pants, blue boots, a white belt, and a sword that hung at his hip. He had long, untidy black hair, and wore a confident smirk on his lean, handsome features. The other odd thing about him was the passenger in his car: a small, blue-furred, catlike creature, which moved by floating rather than walking.

"Greetings!" the man called out in a friendly tone as he strode towards them. "My name is Yamcha: in case you haven't heard of me, I am the master of the Diablo Desert, the land on which you have trespassed."

Vegeta snorted in amusement, raising an eyebrow. _Seriously?_

"There's no reason for you to fear me," Yamcha continued, holding out one hand in a sweeping gesture, while his other rested casually on the hilt of his sword. "All you need to do is hand over any capsules or money that you happen to have on you, and I'll allow you to pass through here in peace."

"That's right!" his feline companion seconded in a high-pitched, feminine voice.

While Goku and Vegeta were focused on Yamcha, Oolong found himself more intrigued by the cat. _Don't I know her from somewhere?_ He looked more closely, tapping his chin, as he struggled to figure it out. _Wait… don't tell me that's…_ Abruptly, it came to him, and he grinned.

"Puar!" he called out with a laugh, jogging forward until he stood beside Goku and Vegeta. "I'd know you anywhere! We went to Shapeshifting Academy together, remember?" He snickered at the angered scowl on the cat's face.

"Oolong!" Puar growled, shooting a glare at the pig. "Of course I remember you, you no-good bully! You always picked on me and stole my lunch money, just because I was smaller than you!"

Yamcha's eyes narrowed, as he focused his attention on Oolong. "You don't say? Well, how would you like to be the victim for a change, little pig?"

Oolong's eyes popped open wide in terror, and he hastily backpedaled, ducking behind Vegeta in an effort to avoid Yamcha's threatening glare. "Um… you guys wanna take it from here?" he mumbled.

"With pleasure," Vegeta muttered as he stepped forward. "Kakarot, stay back. You got to fight last time; this one's mine."

"Awww, okay," Goku muttered, taking a seat on a nearby flat rock in the shade. Oolong hurried over to him, although he took up a crouched position _behind_ the rock, making it easier to run or hide if necessary.

Rolling his shoulders, Vegeta strolled forward leisurely, coming to a halt opposite Yamcha. Stretching his arms to loosen up, he turned to face the bandit. "All right, I've had enough of this farce. You'll get nothing from us, so I'd suggest you leave now if you know what's good for you." He cracked a grin, a brief flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. "Sticking around might be hazardous to your health."

Yamcha chuckled. "Oh, really? A tough guy, are you? Well, I think I'll be the judge of that." He entered a fighting stance, one hand lightly gripping the hilt of his sword. "I'll ask nicely one more time. Either hand over your belongings peacefully, or I'll take them by force."

Vegeta chuckled. "Not a bad ultimatum. Here's mine." He dropped into his own ready stance. "Either way, you're leaving, _without_ what you came for. But you can either leave with all your bones intact, or I can break a few first." His eyes narrowed. "Your choice."

Yamcha scowled, his previous geniality vanishing. "Okay, tough guy. Let's see what you're made of!" With that, his sword flashed out of the scabbard, and he launched himself at Vegeta with a battle cry.

In the moment before he moved to dodge, Vegeta grinned. _Oh, I've missed this._

With a hiss of super-speed, the Saiyan vanished, and Yamcha's sword swung through empty air. The bandit skidded to a halt, his eyes wide as he looked around. _What the hell?_

"Looking for me?"

Yamcha's eyes widened, and he whipped around, sword slashing in a horizontal arc at chest height, but Vegeta dodged back out of range, narrowly avoiding the gleaming blade. "Not bad," he remarked. "Can you do better?"

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Yamcha lunged, his sword becoming a blur as he launched a rapid-fire series of slashes and jabs, but Vegeta was even faster as he dodged and weaved through the attacks with ease, not losing so much as a strand of hair. Finally, he sidestepped a particularly forceful vertical swing and ducked inside Yamcha's guard, swinging around behind him and tapping two fingers to the small of his back, shoving him away as Vegeta straightened up.

"Don't you mock me, you –" Yamcha snarled as he whirled to face Vegeta. A moment later, however, he gasped and staggered, clutching at his stomach. "What? W-when did you… hit me?"

Vegeta shrugged. "In the moment when I was inside your guard, right before I stepped around behind you. I'm a little surprised you didn't notice, to be honest; I didn't put _that_ much speed behind it."

"Bastard…" Yamcha gritted his teeth, tensing before he sprang, his sword coming around in a decapitating arc. Vegeta flowed smoothly out of the weapon's path, ducking in close and swinging an uppercut that cracked into Yamcha's jaw, nearly knocking him senseless and landing him flat on his back. The sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

"Okay, you _must_ have seen that one coming, right?" Vegeta questioned with a note of amusement in his voice. "I slowed it down a bit that time."

_What… the hell…_ Yamcha gasped for breath as he sat up, rubbing his jaw in an effort to ease the pain of that last blow. _I can't take another hit like that… damn it, what_ is _he?!_ He forced himself to his feet, swaying unsteadily back and forth. "You're stronger than I thought," he remarked shakily. "But I'm not done yet!" Readying his energy, he focused it into his hands, letting them glow with a faint blue light. "I don't usually use this against my opponents, because it tends to end badly for them, but in this case you've earned it! Prepare yourself for my ultimate technique – the Wolf Fang Fist!"

Vegeta smirked, arms hanging loosely at his sides as he observed his opponent's moves. _He's concentrating all his power into a single point, so he can hit me with all of it at once… not a bad strategy._ "Come on, then," he retorted. "Do your worst."

"Gladly!" Yamcha yelled, his eyes flashing with a predatory glare. Kicking off the ground, he shot forward, bringing his hands around with a flare of light. "WOLF FANG FIST!" he roared, swinging his attack directly for Vegeta's chest.

In the moment before the attack made contact, Vegeta considered dodging or blocking it, but ultimately decided against that course of action. He wanted to see his enemy's best, and the best way to do that was to take it head-on.

_WHAM!_ Yamcha's claw-like hands struck Vegeta squarely, raining down a furious volley of blows on the prince. Since Vegeta had deliberately left himself open, the force of the impacts knocked him left, then right, pushing him backwards across the ground. Yamcha finished off his chain of attacks by slamming both fists into the center of Vegeta's chest with a final yell, releasing an explosive shockwave that blew Vegeta backwards into the rock formation behind him. The force of the impact was so great that the rock caved in and collapsed on top of the Saiyan, burying him completely.

"Whoa!" Goku exclaimed, his eyes widening in amazement. "That was some attack!"

Oolong paled, a look of horror on his face. "W-What the hell was that?! Is this guy really even stronger than Vegeta? Oh, man, this is bad!" He grabbed Goku by the arm. "Shouldn't you go help him?"

Goku looked over to where Vegeta had disappeared; he appeared concerned for a moment, but then shook his head, a faint grin appearing on his face. "Nah," he said decisively. "He's got this."

* * *

Yamcha gasped, panting as he leaned on a nearby boulder. "Gotcha…" he breathed. "Hope you… liked that… bastard."

That was when the faint sound of crumbling rock reached his ears, and he froze. _No way…_

Sure enough, a moment later, the fallen rocks shook and exploded outwards. Yamcha jumped back, his eyes wide in shock, as Vegeta emerged, dusting himself off and revealing that, except for a few scuffs on his clothing, he was completely unharmed. "Well, that wasn't half-bad," the Saiyan prince remarked dryly. "But if you don't have anything better than that to throw at me, I'm afraid this is where our fight ends."

_What?! What the hell_ is _he?_ Yamcha inhaled slowly, pushing himself back to his feet. "I don't know… how you're so powerful… but I won't just give up." His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists, focusing all of his remaining energy. "This is… everything I've got left! Now come at me!"

"I thought you'd never ask," Vegeta shot back. He charged forward as Yamcha did the same, the distance between them swallowed up within seconds. They each swung a punch, their attacks colliding with an explosive shockwave, blasting up the ground around them and engulfing them in a cloud of dust.

A few seconds later, there was a shift in the dust, and Vegeta emerged, tossing Yamcha's unconscious body unceremoniously to the ground. "Well, I'll give you a little credit," the Saiyan prince admitted. "You might be weak, but at least you've got some courage." With that, he turned away and strolled back over to the others, as Puar rushed over to tend to her unconscious friend.

"Wow!" Goku cried out excitedly, scampering towards Vegeta. "That was _awesome!_ Can you show me how to do that?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Don't worry, Kakarot; you'll learn soon enough."

"What the hell is going on?!" a familiar voice yelled, drawing their attention. Sure enough, Bulma had woken up from her nap (likely due to the noise generated by the fight), and was marching towards them with a furious glare. "I get that you two love fighting, but why the hell are you setting off _explosions_ while I'm trying to nap?"

" _That_ was not my fault," Vegeta snapped, in no mood to put up with her usual attitude. "If you want someone to blame, blame the weakling who decided to attack and rob us." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, to where Puar was tending to Yamcha's injuries. "Although I've already dealt with the situation."

"Oh." Bulma frowned, gazing at Yamcha's sprawled form. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"I considered it, but no." Vegeta shrugged. "He wasn't worth the effort."

"Ah…" Yamcha groaned, drawing their attention. He'd regained consciousness, though he still lacked the strength to get up.

"Yamcha!" Puar cried out, hugging the bandit's neck. "Are you okay? I thought he might've really hurt you!"

"I'm… fine, Puar," the bandit murmured. He managed to sit up with some difficulty, looking over at Vegeta with an expression of mingled anger and amazement on his face. "You… how the hell are you so strong? I've never fought anyone who could defeat me before today, especially not as easily as you did."

"Hah!" Vegeta laughed. "That was nothing. If I'd used anything close to my full power, I assure you you'd be dead right now." He raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I could still do that, if you'd prefer. But I think we both know there's no point in continuing this fight."

"You…" Yamcha seemed to be trying to think of a retort, before his head sagged. "…you're right. I might be many things, but I'm not stupid, and I know when continuing a battle is pointless." A faint, rueful grin flickered across his lips. "Although it's always been in the other direction before," he muttered, letting out a sigh. "Anyway, I know I can't beat you. You can go on your way; I won't trouble you any further." Waving off Puar's assistance, he picked himself up, staggering slightly as he made his way over to the hovercar he'd arrived in. Clambering back into the driver's seat as Puar hopped back in beside him, he stepped on the accelerator and peeled off, vanishing into the distance within a few minutes in a cloud of dust.

Vegeta nodded in satisfaction. "Well, that's the end of that." Turning away, he headed back to the capsule house, having decided to take a nap. Bulma trailed after him, taking a last curious glance in the direction where Yamcha's car had disappeared on the horizon. Goku, however, stared after Yamcha's departing car, his brow furrowed.

"You okay, kid?" Oolong inquired.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Goku nodded, but his gaze was still focused on the horizon, as if he were thinking something over.

Oolong shrugged. "Ah… all right, then." Having had quite enough excitement for one day, he turned and ambled off towards the capsule house, planning to see if Bulma had any food lying around.

.

That night, Vegeta and Bulma sat around the campfire they'd made, gazing up at the stars. Oolong had gone into the capsule house to sleep after finishing dinner, and Goku had wandered off to explore the surrounding area, leaving the two of them alone.

"So…" Bulma was the first to speak up. "That fight earlier was pretty impressive."

Vegeta snorted. "If you call that a fight. It's almost sad, actually; I think that was the first real battle I've had since I landed on this planet as a child." He chuckled nostalgically. "I'd almost forgotten how much fun it is."

"So your species… you guys are really into fighting, I guess?" she inquired.

"Of course!" Vegeta grinned. "The Saiyans are a proud warrior race, the mightiest in the universe! The love of battle is in our blood; our kind have been fighters and conquerors for as long as we can remember." He exhaled slowly, staring into the crackling fire as he remembered his father's final message to him, the one that had sent him to this planet. "At least… we were, anyway."

Bulma frowned. "Were? What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not certain either way, because I don't know what happened, but…" Vegeta picked up a small stick, turning it over in his hands. "Many years ago, when I was still very young, I was on a mission when I received a message from my father. He informed me that Frieza – a powerful alien tyrant who runs the Planet Trade Empire, the organization that the Saiyans work for – was threatening to destroy our home planet and wipe out our entire race. My father had raised an army to launch a rebellion against Frieza, but he wanted to make sure I was safe so I could carry on our people's legacy even if he failed. He gave me the coordinates for Earth, as Kakarot had recently been sent here, so I would have another Saiyan around to help me. I made my way here, found Kakarot, and I've been living here ever since." He sighed, tossing the stick into the fire. "But… it's been over ten years, and I haven't received any messages from my father or any other Saiyans since then. Which means, in all likelihood…" He trailed off wordlessly.

"They're… gone?" Bulma whispered, her eyes wide in shock and horror. "All of them? Your whole _planet?_ "

After a moment, Vegeta forced himself to nod. "It's… possible, yes." He scowled. "And if Frieza did wipe out my people, and is still in control of the Empire, then trying to send a message to anyone off-planet would be suicide for me. That's why I'm interested in these Dragon Balls; if this magical dragon you've been talking about can really grant any wish, I'm hoping that it can tell me what happened to my people."

"That's… wow." Bulma was staring at him with a stunned expression. "I'm… so sorry you've had to go through all of that, Vegeta. Just thinking about what that would be like if I was in your place… stranded on an alien planet for ten years, not knowing if my parents or anyone I've ever known were dead or alive… I can't imagine how terrible that must be for you." She was silent for a moment, before shaking her head. "Well, in that case, you definitely have a much better reason to use the Dragon Balls than I do. When we've gathered all seven, you can use them to find what you need to know."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her. "Well, that's very generous of you." He frowned. "Hang on… I don't think I ever asked, actually. _Did_ you have a wish in mind for yourself?"

"Well, I…" Bulma chuckled softly. "Actually, yeah, I did. But compared to yours, it's stupid, so I won't bother with it."

"Well, what was it?" Vegeta pressed. "I'm genuinely curious: what could prompt someone like you to embark on such a long and dangerous journey, totally on your own, with no powers like what Kakarot and I can do to keep you safe along the way? What could you possibly want that badly?"

Bulma blushed. "Well… to be honest, I…" She looked down, averting her eyes. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever."

"Okay." Bulma groaned. "God, it sounds so dumb now, but… I wanted to wish for the perfect boyfriend." She flushed, looking anywhere but at Vegeta.

For his part, Vegeta was surprised: he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting her wish to be, but it certainly wasn't _that_. "You're serious?" he asked. "You've been going on a journey across the planet, facing monsters and trekking through dangerous terrain, to summon a legendary dragon that possesses magical powers… just so you can ask for a suitable _mate?_ "

"Yes!" Bulma exclaimed exasperatedly. "Yes, okay? So I couldn't think of anything better; sue me!" She slumped back against the rock she'd been leaning on, groaning. "I know, I know, you probably think that's the stupidest thing you've ever heard…"

"Actually, I was going to say that, considering that you're highly intelligent, reasonably attractive, and fairly pleasant company, I'm not sure why you would feel the need to _wish_ for someone who would be interested in you." Vegeta chuckled softly. "I mean, surely you would have no shortage of options if that's what you're looking for."

That stopped Bulma short; she turned slowly, looking at Vegeta with something new in her expression. "…Thanks," she said with a smile. "That's really sweet of you."

"Don't tell anyone I did," Vegeta returned with a chuckle. "I don't make a habit of giving compliments." He flashed a smirk. "Even when they're deserved."

Bulma grinned, leaning back against the rock. Then her grin melted into a scowl as something else Vegeta had said clicked, and her eyes snapped back to him again. "Hang on. What do you mean, _reasonably_ attractive?!"

Vegeta's laughter echoed out into the night.

* * *

Several miles away, Yamcha and Puar sat quietly around their own fire. The mood in their camp was much more subdued, as Yamcha was busy nursing his injuries from the fight with Vegeta, while Puar flitted around tending the fire.

"I just don't understand it," Yamcha muttered. "How the hell could anyone be that strong?" He poked at the fire with a long stick, stirring up the burning logs. "I know there are some famous martial arts masters out there – the Turtle and Crane Hermits, Son Gohan of Paozu, people like that – but I didn't think anybody that young could have that kind of power." He sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter. It's not like I'll be seeing him again."

Abruptly, the crunching sounds of footsteps on sand reached the bandit's ears. He sprang to his feet, wincing as the bruises that Vegeta had given him gave a twinge, but he still entered a ready stance, picking up his sword from the bed of his hovercar. "Who's there?" he called out, beckoning to Puar, who ducked behind him. "Trying to sneak up on me?"

"Not really, no," a young voice replied. Goku emerged from the shadows, strolling up to the campfire.

"You?" Yamcha frowned. "What the hell are you doing here, kid? I already said I'd leave you guys alone; your friend made sure of that."

"Oh, yeah, I know," Goku replied with a smile. "Don't worry, I just wanted to talk."

"…Okay…" The bandit sat down again and leaned against his car, keeping a wary eye on Goku.

The Saiyan boy sat cross-legged in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth. He stretched, yawning, and grinned. "So, I watched your fight with Vegeta, and I thought that fighting style of yours was really cool. You were actually keeping him on his toes there for a minute! I've never really seen him like that; he doesn't usually enjoy himself that much when he fights someone. Normally he just smacks people around and that's it, but against you he actually put some effort in." Excitement flashed in his eyes. "I wanna be able to do that someday, see. I'm gonna get strong enough that I can go toe to toe with Vegeta in a fight. That's been somethin' I've wanted to do ever since he started teaching me martial arts, but so far I've never been able to even hit him when he gets serious."

Yamcha nodded slowly. "Okay, so you're his student? That makes sense, I guess. But…" He frowned. "What're you talking to me for? I mean, it's not like I could beat him."

"Yeah, I know." Goku nodded. "But one of the things Vegeta's taught me is that it's important to learn as much as I can about different fighting styles. He promised to take me to train with his old teacher, Master Roshi, after we're done helping Bulma, but I figured, since your fighting style looked interesting too, I'd come find you and ask you if you could show me some of your moves?" He beamed hopefully, leaning forward to focus on Yamcha.

Yamcha wasn't sure how to respond to that, until one particular detail that the kid had mentioned clicked in his mind. "Wait… Master Roshi?" he asked. "As in _Muten Roshi_ , the Turtle Hermit?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was his name," Goku confirmed. "Vegeta's gonna take me to train with him once our trip's over."

Yamcha's eyes widened, his mind racing. _The Turtle Hermit… yes, that makes sense! If that Vegeta guy trained under him, that could explain how he's so powerful._

An idea suddenly occurred to him. _If I could get power like that…_ His eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Goku. "All right, kid… I'll teach you."

Goku's eyes widened and he smiled eagerly. "Wait, really?"

"Not so fast," Yamcha cut him off. "I've got a couple conditions. First off, I want to come with you lot, which means you'll have to convince your friend Vegeta to let me and Puar tag along." He jerked a thumb at his furry companion, who looked up in alarm.

"Yamcha?" Puar squeaked, her eyes wide. "Are… are you sure we should do that? Oolong's a jerk, and that Vegeta guy hurt you!"

"Yes, I'm sure, Puar," Yamcha replied quickly, arching an eyebrow meaningfully to send a clear message of _We'll talk about this later_ , before turning back to Goku. "So here's the deal, kid. Wherever you're going – frankly, I couldn't care less where it is – you've gotta convince your friends to let us come with you." His lips curved in a smile. "And when this is over, you have to take us with you when you go to meet the Turtle Hermit. If you're gonna train with him, I want in on that. In exchange, I'll teach you everything you want to know about how I fight." He held out a hand, grinning. "Deal?"

Goku eyed the offered hand for a moment, then smiled happily. "Deal!" he replied, shaking Yamcha's hand with surprising strength. "Don't worry, I'm sure I can convince Vegeta and Bulma to let you guys come along." He hopped to his feet. "All right! Just come back to our camp in the morning, okay?" With that, he was gone, bounding energetically off into the darkness.

"So… what was that about, Yamcha?" Puar inquired. "Why do you want to go with them?"

"It's pretty simple," the bandit replied, smiling at his friend before leaning back and looking into the fire. "If that fight today showed me anything, it's that there's a whole world of power I didn't even know existed. I've never really learned the ways of martial arts, since I always figured I could get strong enough on my own. But the Turtle Hermit's a legend; if I can actually get a chance to train with him, I'm not gonna miss out on that opportunity." His eyes narrowed and he held up a clenched fist, his resolve joined by a flash of anger. _And if I can get as strong as that arrogant bastard Vegeta… he's gonna pay for humiliating me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, our heroes continue their journey, several other Dragon Ball characters are introduced, and we move towards the climax of this saga.


	8. Out of the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group arrives at a burning mountain and have a brief confrontation with its ruler, and Goku makes a new friend while Vegeta recruits Roshi to help retrieve the next Dragon Ball.

**Dragon Ball Saga, Part 8: Out of the Fire**

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"Seriously?!"

"Yep. The radar doesn't lie: it's definitely in there."

Vegeta groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic," he muttered.

Bulma nodded, tucking the Dragon Radar away in her pocket, before sighing as she looked up at the mountain that lay before them. "No kidding."

Three days had passed since their encounter with Yamcha and Puar. The group had completed their trek across the Diablo Desert, which had been sped up considerably by Yamcha's car, and were now approaching the source of the next Dragon Ball: a tall, craggy mountain, shrouded in clouds, with a large stone castle at its summit.

The only problem was that the "clouds" were actually smoke. Because the mountain in question was on fire.

Not just the plants on it. The mountain _itself_. The entire thing, from ground level to the very top, was engulfed in a fiery inferno, its hellish glow visible for miles. Curiously, despite the absence of anything that should be able to burn, the flames continued to rage, swirling over the barren stone as if it was dry grass.

The most annoying part was that, according to Bulma's Dragon Radar, the Dragon Ball they were looking for was located inside the castle, at the very top of the mountain.

"Any ideas?" Bulma inquired as the group made their way through the scrubland towards the base of the burning mountain. "We'll have to get through that fire somehow if we're going to get to the castle."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, thinking it over. _Well, it's_ fire _, not a physical barrier, so I'm not sure how well blasting our way through would go…_ "I _could_ just fly to the top," he murmured contemplatively, "but I'd still have to get into the castle and find the Dragon Ball. The heat wouldn't be a problem – I could use my ki to shield myself from the flames – but there can't be much oxygen up there."

"Yeah, this place looks pretty dangerous," Goku remarked, frowning. "That fire's really big."

"Not to mention the Ox King," Oolong muttered.

"What?" Goku blinked curiously. "Who's the Ox King?"

"Supposedly, he's the guy who owns this mountain and the surrounding lands," the shapeshifter explained, glancing around nervously. "He's supposed to be some kind of monster who drives away or kills anybody that trespasses within his domain."

"Oh, wow!" Goku's eyes widened and he grinned excitedly. "He sounds _awesome!_ "

Yamcha hung back, a little apart from the others, with Puar remaining faithfully by his side. The bandit kept quiet, not wanting to provoke Vegeta's anger. The memories of the beating he'd suffered during their fight, and of Vegeta's anger when he'd found out about the deal Goku had made with him, were still vivid in his head.

* * *

_"No! Absolutely not!"_

_"Oh, come on, Vegeta! He won't get in the way, I promise!"_

_"It's completely out of the question, Kakarot! Bringing the girl and the pig along is bad enough; I'm not going to tolerate bringing this weakling as well!"_

_"But you don't understand!" Goku exclaimed, his eyes wide and beseeching. "You're the one who's always telling me I need to get stronger. And having another sparring partner will help me do that! C'mon, please?" He turned to Yamcha, smiling. "You won't cause any trouble, will ya?"_

_Yamcha nodded quickly. "Yeah, he's right!" he seconded. "I don't care what you guys are looking for; I just really want to meet the Turtle Hermit, and I'd be happy to teach Goku some of my moves in exchange. And I won't cause you any trouble, I swear."_

_Faster than the bandit's eyes could follow, Vegeta phased into view directly in front of him, the younger man's cold eyes now locked with his own. Yamcha flinched back violently, but managed to stand his ground._

_Vegeta's eyes narrowed slightly, sending a threatening glare. "For your sake, I hope not," he growled, before turning and walking back to the others. "Fine, Kakarot. You can bring him along. But keep this in mind, Scarface." He shot another glare over his shoulder, his dark eyes sending a chill down Yamcha's spine. "If you make me regret this, I'll kill you myself."_

* * *

_Best to just stay out of the way and avoid making him mad,_ Yamcha thought to himself. _The kid seems nice enough, but that Vegeta guy's crazy. Not to mention…_ He blushed as he glanced over to Bulma, who was checking the radar again. It had always been his one fatal weakness: his damn shyness, unable to do so much as talk to a girl.

_Doesn't matter,_ he reminded himself. _You're not here to make friends; you're here so they'll take you to meet the Turtle Hermit. If training with him is how Vegeta's so strong, and you can get to that level too…_ He grinned a little. _Then this will all be worth it. For now, though, it's probably best to avoid any confrontations._

As the group approached the base of the mountain, the heat of the fire grew even more intense. Vegeta was able to shield himself using a gentle flow of ki, but the others were sweating profusely.

"Right, then," the Saiyan prince muttered, tilting his head back and gazing up at the distant castle atop the mountain. "If no one has a better idea, I'll have to fly up there and see if I can find it."

"Sounds like a plan –" Bulma was interrupted by a sudden crashing in the bushes nearby. The group turned as one towards the source of the noise, Vegeta, Goku and Yamcha taking up fighting stances in front of Bulma and the shapeshifters, just as a huge figure emerged into the open.

"Who dares to trespass on my land?!" the giant demanded in a deep, booming voice. Easily seven feet in height, he towered over the small group. A huge axe hung from one of his massive hands, and he wore a helmet adorned with a pair of curved horns.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. _Well, what do you know. Looks like the pig was right after all._ Out loud, he called out, "You're the Ox King, I presume?"

"That's right!" The burly man scowled, his hand tightening on the handle of his axe. "And who are you? A gang of thieves, here to steal from me?"

"Whoa!" Bulma paled, her eyes wide. "No, that's not it! We… we didn't mean to trespass, I swear! We're just looking for –"

"My treasure, no doubt?!" the Ox King snapped, waving his axe. "Well, you won't be getting anything from me!" He charged, swinging his axe in a backhanded sweep aimed at Vegeta, who was closest to him.

Vegeta sighed. "Oh, for god's sake…" He shot a glance at Goku and Yamcha. "You two, stand back. I'll handle this." Taking a few quick, bounding steps forward, he hopped into the air and somersaulted forwards over the Ox King's head, his arm flicking out and notching a chop into the back of his opponent's neck. The mountain of a man toppled, crashing facefirst to the ground, Vegeta landing neatly behind him on his feet.

"Guh…" The Ox King rolled over, groaning and rubbing his neck. "What was that?!"

"That," Vegeta replied tersely, "was a warning." He turned to face the larger man, folding his arms over his chest. "For your information, we're not here to steal from you. We're looking for a set of artifacts known as Dragon Balls, and one of them is in that castle up there." He jerked his head towards the top of the burning mountain. "If it belongs to you, I'm sure the girl over there would be happy to pay you for it."

"Yeah, he's right!" Bulma seconded, before pausing and scowling as Vegeta's words sank in. "Wait… hey!"

The Ox King's eyes widened as he sat up. "Oh! My apologies, then. Gangs of bandits are fairly common in these parts, so I assumed that must be why you were here. Sorry about that." He rose to his feet, still rubbing his neck. "Well, if that little rock's all you're interested in, I'd be happy to give it to you; I've got no use for it. But, unfortunately…" He frowned ruefully, glancing up at the mountain. "With the fire, there's no way to reach the castle."

"Um… sir?" Goku spoke up curiously. "We were actually wondering about that. Why is the mountain on fire?"

"Well, the fire is magical in nature, you see," the Ox King explained. "This mountain was once known as Pleasant Mountain, if you can believe that: it was a beautiful place. But I wanted to help protect my castle from bandits, so I hired a wizard to create a magical fire around the castle. Unfortunately, the magic was too strong, and the fire grew out of control and consumed the entire mountain. I've spent years trying to find a way to put it out, but I didn't figure it out until very recently."

This caught Bulma's interest. "So, wait… there _is_ a way to put it out?" she asked.

The Ox King nodded. "Yes, there should be… a magic artifact known as the Bansho Fan. Last I heard, it was in the possession of the great Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. I sent my daughter Chi-Chi off to find him a couple of days ago, but she hasn't returned." He removed a slip of paper from his pocket, holding it up to show them a picture of a young girl, about the same age as Goku, wearing a rather revealing purple outfit that vaguely resembled a swimsuit.

His mention of the Turtle Hermit caught Vegeta's attention, as well as those of Goku and Yamcha. "Wait… _Roshi?_ " the Saiyan prince asked. "You know him?"

"Of course!" The Ox King grinned a little. "He was my master: he taught me the ways of martial arts." He frowned. "You know him too?"

"I do," Vegeta confirmed. "I've also trained with him."

"Oh!" The large man smiled, considering for a moment. "Well, as a favor to me… would you be willing to help me find my daughter, and the Bansho Fan? If you can get the fan, we'll be able to put the fire out, and you can have the Dragon Ball."

"Sure!" Goku grinned. "Vegeta, you know where Master Roshi lives, right?"

"Obviously," the prince retorted with a grin. "All right, here's what we'll do. Kakarot and I can fly, so we're the fastest." He glanced to Goku. "Kakarot, you go find this guy's daughter. I remember where Roshi's house is, so I'll go find him and get the fan thing so we can put the fire out. We'll meet back here."

"Right!" Goku called for the Nimbus, the small golden cloud dropping from overhead and hovering beside him. "Don't worry, Mr. Ox; I'll find her!" He hopped onto the cloud and flew up and away, soaring off into the distance.

Vegeta smirked a little at the amazed reactions of Yamcha, Puar and the Ox King. "I'm off too. You lot, stay out of trouble while we're gone." He nodded to Bulma, before flaring his ki and blasting off back the direction they had come.

* * *

Goku soared through the air, scanning the ground below for any signs of life. He strained to detect anyone, but for the most part the lands below him were empty and barren. _C'mon, c'mon!_ he thought to himself.

After an hour or so, his eyes finally fell on a small, humanoid figure far below. After a moment, he recognized her from the picture the Ox King had shown him. _There we go! That must be her!_ He smiled and leaned forward, steering the Nimbus into a swift descent.

"Um… hi!" he called out as he approached the girl, waving in a friendly manner. "Sorry, but are you Chi-Chi?"

The girl turned, her eyes wide in surprise and amazement as she saw him dropping out of the sky. "Um… y-yes?" she answered, stammering a little. How did this boy know her name? And… _is he really flying?_

"Cool!" Goku smiled, bringing the cloud to a stop a few inches off the ground, right in front of her. "My name's Goku!" Remembering his manners from what Vegeta had taught him, he bowed to her. "Uh, your dad asked me to come and bring you back home."

"Oh!" Chi-Chi smiled, blushing a little. _He's so polite!_ "Well, all right. Thank you; that's very sweet of you."

"Um… thanks?" Goku replied, smiling. He wasn't sure what she meant – _Sweet? Like honey or somethin'?_ – but he shrugged it off. "So… let's go, I guess. Just hop on, and I'll fly us back." He held out a hand, beckoning to her.

Chi-Chi's blush deepened, but she took Goku's hand and let him lift her up onto the Nimbus cloud. She was amazed by the fact that she was actually able to stand on the cloud, but Goku didn't seem to regard it as odd, so she didn't say anything about it.

* * *

It didn't take long for Goku and Chi-Chi to make it back to the mountain; the girl stuck close to the young Saiyan once they'd returned, clearly taken with him. The group settled in, waiting for Vegeta to return. To their surprise, it didn't take nearly as long as they'd thought; within a few more hours, a dot appeared on the horizon, and rapidly grew into the form of the Saiyan prince. He touched down a few yards away, strolling up to them.

"So… how'd it go?" Bulma inquired. "Did you find him?"

"Did he have the fan-thingy?" Goku put in.

"Yes, and no," Vegeta answered each of their questions matter-of-factly. "I _did_ find him, but unfortunately he says he lost the Bansho Fan some time ago."

"Oh, no!" The Ox King sighed, sinking to the ground in defeat. "Then there's nothing we can do?"

"I didn't say that," Vegeta corrected him. "The good news is, the old man said that he can put out the fire himself." He nodded to the horizon, where another dark dot had become visible. "So he agreed to come back with me."

Sure enough, this dot turned out to be Roshi's pet turtle, spinning at such high speeds that its momentum kept it airborne. The old master was perched in the center of the turtle's shell, crouched low to keep the wind from launching him off of its back. He hopped nimbly off of Turtle's back as the pair settled to the ground, leaning on his cane for a moment to steady himself. "Ah… so what's this about a fire, then?" he questioned, cracking a grin.

After Bulma and the Ox King quickly explained the situation, Roshi ambled towards the base of the mountain, taking up position on an elevated piece of ground. He shrugged off his Hawaiian shirt, exposing his bare torso, and took a few deep breaths as he readied himself.

"Need any help?" Vegeta spoke up, arching an eyebrow.

"Nah, I've got this," Roshi replied, waving off his student. "I've got enough in me to put out this little fire." His eyes narrowed as he cupped his hands to his side, beginning to focus his energy. _A full-power Kamehameha ought to be more than enough…_

Vegeta smirked, arms folded as he focused on Roshi's energy. The others were standing further back, Goku and Yamcha both focused intently on the famed Turtle Hermit. So far, the bandit was keeping quiet, not wanting to annoy Roshi and ruin his chances of getting to train with the legendary master.

"Ka… Me…" Roshi chanted. His energy began building up, slowly at first, then faster. A gust of wind whipped up around him, as his muscles suddenly expanded, bulking up dramatically. " _Ha… Me…_ " His eyes focused intently on the mountain, and he swung his hands forward, launching the attack. " _HAAA!_ "

Everything was light and heat and noise for about ten seconds, the entire area was lit up with a blinding flare of blue light, and the roar of the energy blast was deafening as the Kamehameha smashed into the mountain. Everyone else had to cover their eyes and duck for cover; even Vegeta had to squint against the glare.

After about ten seconds, the light and noise died down. The group turned back to face the mountain, their eyes widening in amazement as the smoke cleared.

Sure enough, the fire was gone completely. The problem was, so was the castle, along with most of the mountain. The whole thing had been leveled by the power of the blast.

Roshi's eyes widened, and he chuckled softly. "Heheh… sorry about that. Guess I put a bit too much 'oomph' into that one."

Vegeta was grinning a little. "Not bad, old man," he commented dryly. "But if blowing up the mountain was all we had to do, I could have done that myself."

Yamcha was gaping. _Holy shit… what the hell_ _ **are**_ _these people?!_ He looked from Roshi to Vegeta and back again. _They're both so strong… I've got to get to that level! Somehow…_

"That was _so cool!_ " Goku exclaimed, beaming. He scampered over to Roshi and Vegeta, his eyes wide. "Was that the Kamehameha? The move you taught Vegeta?"

"Yep!" Roshi replied with a weary grin. "My strongest technique, that one." He glanced at Vegeta, chuckling. "Though this one made it look easy the first time he tried it."

Vegeta laughed. "Oh, please. Like I said, old man, I'm a Saiyan. Learning new techniques comes naturally to us."

As the master and student bantered, Goku was still thinking about what he'd just seen, remembering how Roshi had made the Kamehameha look so fluid and effortless. _If Vegeta was able to learn it right away… maybe I can too!_ He focused on a large boulder a few yards away, one of many strewn about all over the place after the mountain's destruction. Cupping his hands to his side, he carefully mimicked Roshi's movements, focusing his energy in the same way. "Ka… me…" he murmured. " _Ha… me…_ "

Roshi glanced over, frowning as he noticed Goku's pose. "Um… Goku?" he asked, his eyes widening a little. "What're you…"

Goku grinned, his energy rising to a peak. _Got it!_ He swung his hands forward, aiming at the boulder. " _HA!_ "

And, just as Roshi had a few minutes earlier, a blue energy beam shot forth from the Saiyan boy's palms. It hit the boulder squarely and detonated, blasting it into rubble with a small but powerful explosion.

Roshi's eyes were wide in amazement. _Him too?! Man, these Saiyans are something else…_ His lips curled in a grin. _Well, that settles it: I'm definitely looking forward to training this one when he's ready._

Vegeta said nothing, but his smile widened and he nodded approvingly. _Nicely done, Kakarot._

* * *

Fortunately, the Dragon Ball hadn't been damaged by the explosion or the mountain's collapse, as its signal was still showing up clearly on Bulma's Dragon Radar. With Vegeta, Goku and Yamcha available to do the heavy lifting, it didn't take long for them to dig through the rubble. Sure enough, after just a few minutes, Goku called out to the others, hopping out of a hole with the shimmering sphere held triumphantly in one hand.

With the Dragon Ball in hand, the group parted ways with their new friends. Roshi and Turtle had left to return to their island, the Turtle Hermit bidding a temporary farewell to Vegeta and Goku.

Chi-Chi, meanwhile, seemed saddened by Goku's departure. "Are you _sure_ you have to go?" she asked, swaying back and forth a bit while playing with the lining of her skirt.

"Yeah, I do," Goku replied. "We've gotta finish finding the Dragon Balls, and then Vegeta's gonna take me to train with Master Roshi." He smiled a little, looking at her. "But, um… I could come back and visit sometime, if you'd like."

Chi-Chi's eyes brightened and she smiled brightly, blushing. "Really?" she inquired hopefully.

"Sure!" Goku smiled happily. "Your dad's a really good cook, and it's nice to hang out with somebody my age for a change. Vegeta's fun, but he's usually kinda grumpy." He and Chi-Chi both giggled.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta's call drew their attention. "Come on, we're leaving!" The Saiyan prince beckoned to the younger boy, before walking off towards where Yamcha's car was parked, followed by Bulma and the others.

"Okay!" Goku called back. He shot a quick smile at Chi-Chi. "Sorry, gotta go. But I'll come back sometime, I promise!" He turned and hurried off after Vegeta, Chi-Chi's eyes following him all the way to the car.

The Ox King's daughter smiled as she watched him leave. _You'd better_ , she thought to herself, her blush deepening.

* * *

The remote camera feed from the small spy drone tracked the small group as they walked back to their vehicle, zooming in briefly on the mesh bag full of golden stone spheres carried by the girl.

"Excellent," a high-pitched, grating voice murmured. "Those fools have gathered all six. They'll be on their way to us now."

Two other figures – a humanoid canine wearing a katana, and a young woman dressed in blue – turned to look up at the diminutive figure perched on the throne. "Uh, Emperor?" the doglike figure inquired hesitantly. "Why, um… why have we just been letting them gather the Dragon Balls? Don't we need them for your wish?"

"Of course we do, you idiot," Emperor Pilaf snapped, shooting a glare at his underling Shu. "But in case you haven't been paying attention, that group has three powerful warriors among them. Particularly that one." The imp's eyes narrowed, focusing on the image of the dark-haired young man standing beside the blue-haired girl. "His power is far beyond anything I've ever seen. We'd be no match for him in a fight." His thin lips curved in a smile. "Fortunately, we don't have to fight them, as they've been doing our job for us. They've already gathered six of the Dragon Balls, so there's only one left for them to find." He glanced over to a nearby stone pillar, where the shimmering form of the seventh Dragon Ball sat on a cushion. "And we have it. Which means they will have to come here, and they'll bring the other six right to us."

"Brilliant, Master!" Shu exclaimed.

"Yes!" his comrade Mai agreed. She frowned, looking up at the screen. "But… won't they be angry when we take the Dragon Balls from them and use the wish ourselves? If we can't fight that one, how are we going to stop him from killing us when he finds out what we're planning?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be quite upset." Pilaf chuckled, his grin widening. "But considering what I'm going to wish for – namely, total control over the entire world – they won't be able to do a thing to us once it's been granted. They, along with every living thing on this planet…" His eyes sparkled cruelly in the light of the Dragon Ball. "…will soon be _mine_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've got one more chapter to go; then that should be it for the Dragon Ball Saga, and we'll be on to the next one!
> 
> To clarify, by the way, just in case anybody's wondering: the term "Dragon Ball Saga" refers to what, in canon, is known as the "Emperor Pilaf Saga", not to the entirety of the Dragon Ball era. The next saga, which will be entitled "the Turtle School Saga", will cover the events of Goku's training with Master Roshi, leading up to the events of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. Following that… well, we'll have to wait and see!
> 
> Next chapter, we reach the climax of this saga, as the heroes face off against Pilaf for control of the Dragon Balls, and we'll find out whose wish will be granted.


End file.
